Corrupted Fayth
by loopy6380
Summary: The Eternal Calm is finally underway after the threat of Vegnagun was eliminated. Even better, High Summoner Yuna has finally been reunited with her love, Tidus. After nearly sixteen years of peace, a new threat as arrived. This new threat may be far more dangerous than anything yet. When Spira's heroes are taken captive, it is up to a new generation to save Spira and its people.
1. Chapter 1-New Spira

**Hey all! This is a story I came up with not too long ago, and in honor of the release of the HD remaster of Final Fantasy X/X-2, I have chosen to share this story with everyone. Please feel free to review with comments as well as tips. I obviously do not own anything related to Final Fantasy and its characters and locations. The new characters and new locations are the only things original from me. Enjoy!**

"Spira is at peace for the first time in over a thousand years. With the destruction of Sin and Yu Yevon, followed by the destruction of the world-destroying Vegnagun, all of the world's threats are gone. All of that is thanks to a single person, who, along with her closest friends, stood up against everything the world feared. They refused to believe they had to conform to the world's tendency to accept defeat. They brought hope to the world, followed by peace.

High Summoner Yuna broke the thousand-year cycle of defeating Sin for only ten years before it returned to wreak destruction across the world all over again. None believed it was possible, simply accepting the teaching of the god that created Sin. For the sake of the world, Yuna and her guardians chose to face the impossible and fight Sin head-on. With hope and love, they banded together and destroyed the god-like beast and its creator for good. With their defeat, the Eternal Calm began.

Unfortunately, the Calm did not last long. Two years after the defeat of Yu Yevon, a new enemy threatened Spira's survival. That threat came in the form of a self-aware machine called Vegnagun, a weapon created during the Machina War over a thousand years ago. Once again, Lady Yuna stepped in to save the world and its people from complete destruction. Upon the defeat of Vegnagun, the Eternal Calm truly began. It's been exactly one year since Vegnagun was destroyed, and Spira is finally rebuilding. Peace is reigning with the alliance of the Youth League and New Yevon, and they have put their resources and money together to help those who need it.

Not everything is perfect, but then again, nothing is ever truly perfect. However, with Spira finally safe from any threats, and the nations banding together, we can look forward to the future. All of you young ones here today can plan for a life free from suffering and danger. Make the most of it, and pursue your dreams no matter what they are."

The Al Bhed man known as Rin stood in front of a large group of children on the hill in front of the Mi'ihen Travel Agency. With his partnership with O'aka, making the traveling vendor the full-time manager of all of Rin's shops, the Al Bhed had more time to pursue other opportunities. One of those opportunities was to educate Spira's youth on the history of the Eternal Calm that everyone was enjoying. It was his goal to make all aware of where the world would be without the bravery of High Summoner Yuna and her six guardians.

"Mr. Rin, is Lady Yuna gonna be here today?" one of the children asked with his hand raised as high as he could reach.

Rin smiled to the young boy, who couldn't have been any older than six years old. "I'm sorry, my dear boy. Lady Yuna is attending some important meetings in Bevelle. I tried to get her here, but Lady Yuna is a very busy person these days."

The entire crowd of children groaned in disappointment to Rin's answer. Rin smiled with entertainment then turned to face the travel agency. He waved to the window two times, prompting a young woman to walk outside.

"Since we couldn't get Lady Yuna here," Rin began, "I managed to get us a few chocobos from Clasko's Chocobo Ranch. Who wants to learn how to ride?"

All of the children hopped to their feet in excitement. Their cheers were loud and joyous. Rin's smile remained on his face, then he proceeded to the back of the travel agency to help round up the three chocobos. He was doing something he loved to do, even if it wasn't what he expected he would be doing.

"Do what you need for Spira, Lady Yuna," Rin said softly. "And I'll make sure our children grow up following your example."

"You want to reinstate the use of Maesters after the debacle created by the last ones?"

"It's only an idea, not an absolute. Regardless of what we call them, we need people to lead Spira. No offense, but you aren't the one who was trained in politics your whole life. I know quite a bit more than you."

"I don't care what kind of schooling you have! I saw firsthand the corruption of the Maesters, and I know that Spira will never trust anyone with that title."

Within Bevelle's temple, four people sat at a table in an attempt to find a new political structure for Spira. The four consisted of High Summoner Yuna, her former guardian and current boyfriend, Tidus, as well as Baralai and Nooj. They were expecting Gippal to arrive as well, but at that point, he was a half hour late. In the meantime, Baralai had suggested the resurrection of the Maester system, but Tidus firmly objected the idea.

"Calm down you two," Nooj spoke up. "Baralai, I know what you are attempting to say. I do agree with Tidus, however. We need something new, and I think Gippal and I found that system. I had planned to explain it with Gippal's help, but it seems he does not wish to attend today's meeting.

"Oh get your panties out of a twist," Gippal suddenly joked as he entered the room. "Sorry I'm late. There was an accidental explosion at one of the Machine Faction's facilities, and I had to instruct my degenerative lackeys in how to appropriate the repairs."

"Always an excuse," Baralai said with his eyes closed. Gippal chuckled at his friend's lack of humor.

Yuna sat at the head of the table, but hadn't said much at that point. She didn't have much knowledge in politics, and didn't want to look or sound stupid. Instead, she let Baralai and Nooj do the majority of the talking, fully aware of their extensive knowledge in leadership. Tidus also had things to say, though they weren't nearly as educated, and mostly got shot down in seconds. Ultimately, his presence was more because Yuna wanted him there over him actually being needed there.

"What's this idea you two had?" Baralai asked once Gippal finally took his seat.

"It's genius!" Gippal exclaimed. "So get this: we build nations."

Gippal stopped talking after that single statement. Everyone else stared at him, expecting to hear more from him. Instead, he stayed silent with a coy smile as he looked at each person repeatedly.

"And?" Baralai finally asked with a prolonged tone.

"That's it!" Gippal replied. "Instead of having a panel of just a few people lead all of Spira, we separate the regions into nations. Each nation will have its own individual leader, and once a month, those leaders meet in a single location to discuss any topics or discussions that need brought to attention."

"That's sounds great in theory, but what if all the leaders just object to each other?" Tidus asked. "Having individual nations could create separation between the people, which is what we're trying to avoid happening."

"For once, I agree with Tidus," Baralai said. Tidus shot him a frustrated look in return. "If we're going to have a different leader for each region, we need a way to avoid dissension, which could ultimately lead to another war."

"We thought about that," Nooj spoke up. "While there will be a leader for each nation, all the nations' people will vote for a single person to be the leader of leaders, so to speak. You could call it the Spira President. Then the other leaders will form a quorum that will meet under the mediation of the president. Topics of discussion that is important to Spira will be decided upon with the quorum voting on approvals and disapprovals."

Yuna listened carefully and finally decided to speak up. "I like that idea. I think it's important for us to move away from the dictation of a ruler or rulers. If the people feel they have a say in matters of the world, there will be a better opportunity for peace."

"With the people having a say in matters, the door will also be open for the complaints of those who don't get their way," Baralai added. "Regardless, I am inclined to agree with the idea. The next question, then, is how do we divide up the world? Where will one nation end and another begin?"

Gippal jumped to his feet. "That's a much easier question to answer than you'd expect! For the most part, Spira's locations are pretty well bordered already. We have islands like Besaid and Kilika that can be their own nation. Luca already supports the Mi'ihen Highroad with gil and supplies, so it would stand to reason that Luca and Mi'ihen would form a single nation. Mushroom Rock has grown substantially with the presence of the Youth League, so there's that. We at Djose support the Moonflow in the same way Luca supports Mi'ihen, so there's another nation. Leblanc Syndicate has officially renamed Guadosalam into Syndicate, which is a horrible choice in a name, but a name nonetheless. The Thunder Plains and Macalania is being built up by the Guado as they make efforts to save the woods as well as build a city of their own in the plains. We have Bevelle here as a nation. Then you get the Calm Lands, which Clasko has used his new-found fame and fortune to keep it safe and gorgeous, making it into a self-sufficient land. Finally, you have Mt. Gagazet, which has always been run by the Ronsos. Simple as that!"

"You've really thought this through," Baralai said.

"What of Zanarkand?" Yuna asked suddenly. The ruins of Zanarkand still held an important place in her heart. During the three years since Sin had been defeated, she always went back to Zanarkand on the anniversary of Sin's destruction. As depressing as her first experience was there, she loved the land with all her heart.

"Regardless of anyone's religious preference, Zanarkand is still a sacred place," Nooj said. "I think we'll all agree that Zanarkand should remain as it is. It will forever be a symbol of Spira's past struggles and the overcoming of those struggles."

Yuna smiled a little at Nooj's answer. People still traveled to Zanarkand to see it in person, but it was respected. It was exactly as Yuna had hoped it would be. It was a ground that educated people, and reminded them that their freedom was not free to all.

"So we're in agreement?" Gippal asked the group.

"Yes, we are," Baralai answered. Tidus and Yuna agreed as well.

"Very well," Nooj said. "We will hold a conference for the people of Spira in three days to announce our decision. We'll also begin the election process for the nation leaders, as well as the president. Each nation will vote for their own leader, then those leaders will make their nominations for president. Once we have our nominees, the people of Spira will be able to vote for their president."

Nearly six months passed before all of the leaders had been elected. It was a slow process, and required far more planning than expected. The most notable elections was Baralai for Bevelle, Nooj for Mushroom Rock, and Gippal for Djose. Yuna was shocked when she was voted in for Besaid, though Tidus wasn't surprised at all. Her election on Besaid was unopposed as everyone in Besaid wanted her.

Shortly after the nation's leaders were elected, they came together to nominate four presidential candidates. To no one's surprise, Yuna, Gippal, Baralai, and Nooj ended up being the four nominees. Yuna quickly put an emphasis on her disinterest in the position, solely due to her lack of experience and knowledge. Ultimately, Baralai was elected as the Spira President, to his own surprise. He had not expected the people to elect a supporter of New Yevon, which served as a testament to how much Spira had moved forward.

By the time the elections were finished, and legislation established, a whole year had passed. Afterward, things finally started to calm down and return to normal. Yuna and Tidus returned to Besaid to live together in relative peace, only having to leave for the quorum meetings that happened once a month. Tidus also accepted an offer from the Besaid Aurochs to rejoin the blitzball team. For the first time since Tidus had returned, life was calm and happy.

"I can't believe it's already been two years since you came back to me," Yuna told Tidus.

"Time really flew, that's for sure," Tidus responded.

Yuna sat with her back leaning against Tidus' chest in the cabin of the Celsius. They cuddled happily as the airship made way for Luca for the annual blitzball tournament. It would be Tidus' first tournament since his first with the Aurochs four years ago, but he wasn't the least bit nervous. He had practiced almost constantly for almost three months with his team, and it took no time for him to be back in his old form. What excited him most, however, was the improvement of the rest of the team over the past few years. With him back on the team, they were easily one of the top teams out there for once.

"Are you excited?" Yuna asked. She already knew the answer, but loved to listen to Tidus when he was excited about something. While he had grown more mature over the past couple years, he still maintained his almost child-like enthusiasm. That was one of the traits he possessed that Yuna hoped he would never lose.

"Of course I'm excited!" Tidus exclaimed, a little too loudly. "I finally get to play blitzball again! The star has returned!"

Yuna giggled at Tidus' statement. "I have a surprise for you too."

"Ooh, what's that?" Tidus imitated a child and hopped a couple of times.

"Well you didn't get to find out last year because of everything that was going on, but there are two new blitzball teams in the league." Yuna turned her head so she could see Tidus' expression. "One of the teams is the Bevelle Devoters."

"I thought they should have a team," Tidus responded. He noticed the coy smile on Yuna's face. His eyebrow rose, then an idea popped into his head. "Oh don't tell me, Yuna!"

Yuna rose from her position in Tidus' chest and turned to completely face him. Her smile had taken a full form. She knew Tidus had figured it out, so she simply nodded as a reply.

"The Gullwings are a blitzball team now?" Tidus half asked, half stated. Yuna nodded a second time. "But, when did you learn to play? Even more, how did you learn to play at the pro level so quickly?"

"Well I always figured I got it from you," Yuna replied softly. "I like to believe we have such a deep connection that your talents were shared with me."

Tidus' heart warmed at Yuna's statement. He gave her a passionate hug and kissed her forehead. She wrapped her arms around his back and squeezed tightly, which was a move she commonly made even after two years just to make sure he was still with her.

"I don't say it a lot, but I love you Yuna," Tidus said softly.

"I love you too," Yuna replied. Small tears of joy trickled down her cheek. There was nothing in Spira that could make her happier than simply being with Tidus.

The two lovers simultaneously noticed that it was getting late, and they wouldn't get much sleep once they reached Luca. The Celsius had been slightly remodeled in the cabin so that each crew member had their own private living space. It wasn't much, just a bed and a dresser, but it gave them a chance to have time to themselves. Yuna and Tidus had the biggest cabin, which had a larger bed to accommodate two people, as well as a small desk for Yuna to bring paperwork along with her while traveling.

"We'll reach Luca in four hours," Tidus groaned through his exhaustion. "I didn't realize it got that late."

"Maybe we should try to sleep for those four hours," Yuna suggested. "Once the tournament starts, we'll be opponents, so we won't get to see much of each other."

Tidus noticed the disappointment in Yuna's voice while she spoke that last sentence. He softly grabbed her and pulled her down to a laying position with him. She accepted the movement, and moved herself close to Tidus, resting her head on his chest. Tidus kept his arm around her as they didn't say anything else, but instead closed their eyes and fell asleep in each others' arms.

"He is an Auroch!" Brother whined loudly to Rikku on the bridge. "Why does he ride on the Celsius instead of the boat with his team?"

"Shut up already!" Rikku shouted. "If he rode on the boat with his team, then Yuna would have gone with him. Either way, they want to be together, so just deal with it!"

Brother stomped his feet like a child having a tantrum, which was a common occurrence for him. "He's been back for two years!"

"Try to imagine spending two years away from your love with no idea of whether you'd ever see them again," Paine said while sitting in a chair in the middle section of the bridge. She was clearly irritated by Brother and Rikku's bickering, and wanted to make it known. "Tidus wasn't supposed to ever return, and for all we know, he could leave again someday. They'll spend all the time they can together."

"He won't disappear again!" Rikku shouted with a worried tone. "He's been back for two years now, so he's here to stay!"

"But there's no proof it's forever," Shinra chimed in from his seat at the computer terminals. "Because he was a dream made by the Fayth, it would stand to reason that he still is. There's no evidence that the Fayth can create real human life."

Paine got to her feet and started to walk toward the elevator. "I don't care about this. Rather than worrying about how much time he has, why not just enjoy the time he is here."

Everyone stayed quiet after Paine's statement. They all agreed with it, though Paine sounded like she only said it to shut people up. Once the elevator doors opened, Paine walked into it and pressed the button to the cabin.

"Ok, let's change the topic," Buddy declared. "How about we figure out our lineup for the tournament? With a few extra players on the bench now, we need to decide who starts."

"I already did that," Shinra said. "I took the liberty since I have the most knowledge of the opposing teams."

"What makes you think that?" Rikku shot.

"Simply put, I spent the past week studying each individual player on the opposing teams. I learned their strengths, weaknesses, tendencies, and personalities. Adding those factors with their game stats, I was able to find where each team struggled the most, and built a lineup that will exploit each of those weaknesses while building on our strengths. I take it you didn't do any of that, Rikku?"

Rikku didn't say anything. She just looked at the floor, trying to find a way to change the subject. Shinra got out of his chair and gave her a clipboard. It had a list of the Gullwings players, and who would be starting and where. Brother looked over her shoulder to get a look of his own.

"Why don't you start me!" Brother shouted right next to Rikku's ear. Rikku jumped, then turned and punched him in the chest.

"You have the worst stats on our team," Shinra explained. "And you refuse to play any position except Middle, but you can't take a hit. If you want to play Middle, you need to be able to take a few hits, especially against the power hitters on Luca's defense."

"Don't forget about the Ronso defense," Rikku brought up. "The Ronso are the strongest race in Spira, and hit really hard!"

Brother grumpily returned to the pilot seat. He tinkered with the controls for a few seconds, activated the auto-pilot, then left the bridge. Rikku giggled as he stomped the whole way through.

"I'll sleep here on the bridge just to make sure he didn't screw something up," Rikku said. "Go ahead and get some rest."

Shinra nodded and left the bridge as well. Rikku jumped into her cushioned seat at her station and slouched down. A few minutes later, Buddy finally left the bridge, allowing Rikku to dim the lights and close her eyes comfortably. As always, her excitement was far greater than anyone else, but managed to get to sleep rather quickly.

"Welcome to Luca for this year's annual Blitzball Invitational Tournament!" the radio announcer shouted. "We have two days of exciting Blitzball oriented events, including the amateur circuit, games for the kids, and finally the main event. We have all eight of Spira's professional blitzball teams here today, each one ready to make a run for the Crystal Cup! Last year's champion, the Luca Goers, are ready to get their second straight title, but will face fierce opposition. Last year's runner-up, the Besaid Aurochs, are coming in as the favorites thanks to the addition of their new player, the famous guardian of High Summoner Yuna, Sir Tidus! We haven't seen him play in over four years now, but anyone who saw him then is well aware of his spectacular skills. We also have Lady Yuna herself rejoining the competition with her own team, the Gullwings. They reached the semifinals three years ago, but have not competed since then. I think you can all agree with me when I say everyone is looking forward to seeing them play again!"

The Celsius landed at dock six of the airship docks that were built right next to the ship docks. Everyone was walking off the ship expect Tidus and Yuna. They were still fast asleep in their cabin even though their door was pounded on multiple times. Eventually everyone gave up and figured they'd wake up on their own soon enough.

"How long till the tournament starts?" Buddy asked.

"We have three hours," Rikku answered. "We're in locker room five this year."

"Yuna better wake up soon!" Brother shouted grumpily. "We need her!"

Paine started to walk away from the group. "She'll be there, so shut up."

Brother was going to snap back, but Paine was already near the end of the dock. Rikku ran to catch up with her, leaving Brother, Buddy, and Shinra on the dock with all of the equipment. Buddy sighed loudly, then started to lug the bags down the dock.

Back in the Celsius, Yuna finally began to stir. Her eyes slowly opened as she adjusted to the light. Once she had full vision, she glanced back at the clock to realize they had overslept by almost an hour. She jumped completely out of bed in a mini panic, jerking Tidus awake in the process. Tidus flew out of bed and grabbed his sword the leaned against the wall as a reaction.

"What's wrong?" Tidus said quickly as he spun his head around the room.

"We overslept!" Yuna replied, but then gave Tidus a concerned look when she realized he was holding his sword. "Why did you reach for your sword?"

Tidus looked down at the blade that was in his hands. A worried look fell onto his face. "I-I've been having some dreams lately."

Yuna softly gripped the sword and took it from his hand. She put it back in its position against the wall, then put her hands on Tidus' hands. Tidus grabbed them and squeezed slightly.

"What kind of dreams?" Yuna asked. She had concern in her voice, but it was unlike anyone else. She only cared about Tidus' well-being, wanting nothing more than for him to be happy.

"It's stupid," Tidus replied. "The two of us are in Zanarkand at our spot, and a human-like bird comes out of the sky and captures you. I try to chase it down to rescue you, but no matter what I do, I never catch it. I always wake up right as you leave my sight, the last thing I see is you reaching out for me."

Sweat dripped down Tidus' face. Yuna gave him a compassionate smile, then embraced him in a hug. Tidus didn't hesitate to return the hug. They stayed in that position for a few minutes until Tidus finally regained his composure.

"Alright, we gotta get moving," Tidus said. "The tournament selection is in an hour."

Yuna nodded with a smile. "You better hope you don't face us in the first round," she teased as she poked Tidus' stomach.

Tidus grabbed her hand and spun her around so that her back was to him. He wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her from escaping, and used his other hand to tickle her side. She laughed and shouted as Tidus continued the assault.

"Don't make me attack you!" Yuna threatened through her laughing.

"Oh what's the little summoner gonna do?" Tidus teased. "You can't take your guardian!"

Yuna continued to laugh loudly until she decided to make a move. She ripped Tidus hand away from her waist, then did a backflip completely over him and landed behind him. She then jumped on his back and forced him onto the bed, where she proceeded with her own tickling assault.

"Hey!" Tidus shouted through his own laughs. After a minute of struggling, he finally wrestled her into submission. "I keep forgetting you can handle your own now."

Yuna blushed a little. "I had to learn to defend myself if I wanted to search for you. I'm sorry if I've changed too much."

"No, don't apologize Yuna." Tidus, still pinning Yuna to the bed, leaned in and kissed her. "No matter what your appearance is, or what weapon you carry, you'll always be the same Yuna I fell in love with during that long pilgrimage."

Yuna pulled an arm free and wrapped it around Tidus. She pulled Tidus down so that he was on top of her, and continued to hug him. Two years had passed since he was brought back to her, but she still made the most of every day she had with him. She had herself convinced that as long as she kept him close, she would never have to worry about losing him again.

"We need to get moving," Tidus finally said after a few minutes of silently embracing each other.

"Yeah, we don't want to be late," Yuna replied with a large smile.

They both grabbed their bags and finally departed the airship. To their luck, the big crowds had dispersed, leaving only a few stragglers. One straggler was a young woman who looked to be about the same age as Tidus and Yuna. She was frantically pacing back and forth at the end of the dock with a worried look on her face. Yuna and Tidus glanced at each other, and decided to see what was wrong.

"Hey, are you alright?" Tidus asked.

The woman stopped pacing suddenly and looked at Tidus. Tears formed in her eyes before she jumped at Tidus and gave him a hug. Yuna flinched in surprise at the woman's move.

"I'm so glad you're here!" the woman said through her sobbing. "My son is missing and no one would help!"

Tidus pulled the woman off of him. "Ok, calm down. Where did you last see him? We'll help find him for you."

"You would do that?" The woman looked at Tidus with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much! His name is Liasom. He's only six years old, and shouldn't be on his own. He was supposed to wait here while I used the restroom, but when I returned he was gone."

"He can't have gotten too far," Yuna suggested. "I'll go check the ship docks. You want to check the rest of the airship docks?"

"Yeah, I got it," Tidus replied.

Yuna nodded, then ran off toward the other docks. Tidus turned back to the crying mother and gave her a comforting smile.

"Don't worry," Tidus said. "We'll find him."

"Thank you so much," the woman said. "What's your name? I recognize you."

"My name's Tidus, and that was Yuna that just left."

The woman's eyes shot open. Tidus was always nervous about introducing himself to people that didn't recognize him. He didn't mind the fame, since he'd been famous pretty much his entire life thanks to blitzball, but he still didn't like getting attacked by the mobs.

The woman suddenly bowed. "I am so sorry for disturbing you Sir Tidus! And Lady Yuna too!"

Tidus rolled his eyes a little. The part of his fame he hated the most was the amount of groveling some of the people did in front of him. He would have been perfectly fine just waving and signing autographs.

"You didn't disturb us," Tidus replied. "We want to help you find your son. Now let's get searching. Why don't you go left and check those docks. I'll check the docks to the right."

"Thank you!" the woman exclaimed again. "My name is Shinyen by the way."

Tidus nodded, then started to move toward his docks. The woman's name started to ring in his head. He could swear he heard that name somewhere, but couldn't figure out why.

"Selections are in fifteen minutes," Tidus told himself as he searched dock three. "I hope the rest of my team is already there. Heck, I'm not even technically the captain of the team, so they don't need me for it."

Tidus turned to circle around a stack of crates. On the other side, the dock was covered with trash. A crate had a gaping hole in it. When he got closer to it, he could hear growling from within the crate.

"A fiend?" Tidus asked himself out loud.

"Did you say fiend?" Yuna suddenly asked from behind him. Tidus jumped a little as he wasn't expecting to hear anyone.

"Whoa Yuna, you scared me a little," Tidus said with a slight chuckle. "But I don't know what it is. There's growling coming from inside this crate."

Yuna noticed that Tidus wasn't carrying his sword. She pulled her two guns out of the holsters and readied them as she crept closer to the hole. She flicked a light on that was attached to the side of one of her guns and pointed it straight into the hole.

"Anyone in there?" Yuna called into the crate.

Yuna stayed where she was for a few more seconds. Suddenly a large cat jumped out of the hole, making both Yuna and Tidus jump. The cat hissed loudly, then ran away from them. Yuna let out a breath of relief, then re-holstered her weapons.

"Stupid cat," Tidus spat. "Any luck on the ship docks?"

"No, I checked all of them but didn't find anything," Yuna answered. "What about you?"

"No luck."

They began to walk back down the dock when the suddenly heard rustling coming inside the same crate. They stopped and faced the crate again. To their surprise, a young boy climbed out of the hole. He wiped his pants off, then faced Yuna.

"You're the High Summoner?" the boy asked.

"Yes I am," Yuna said with a warm smile.

"You wouldn't be Liasom, would you?" Tidus asked as he knelt down to the boy's level.

"Yeah, I found a clubhouse here," Liasom replied.

Tidus smiled. "Well your mother is worried about you. Why don't we go find her."

The boy's attitude suddenly completely changed. "I won't go anywhere with you! Summoners are bad people, and the High Summoner is the worst!"

Yuna stood surprised at the boy's comments. She had never heard someone call summoners bad people, and especially never heard it toward herself. Tidus stood back up and took an authoritative pose.

"You should show her some respect," Tidus said sternly.

"No!" Liasom shouted. He ran away from the two. Tidus turned to follow him for the sake of not losing him again, but noticed Shinyen at the end of the dock. She embraced her son with a worried hug.

"You know not to run off on your own like that!" Shinyen scolded. She brought her attention to Tidus and Yuna. "Thank you very much! You're good people."

Shinyen started to lead her son away. Liasom turned his head to Yuna, still carrying a look of hatred. Yuna didn't do anything. She just stood in place, still in shock. Tidus put his arm around her and squeezed a little.

"Don't let it bother you," Tidus said. "Being famous always brings a few people who don't like you. Hey, I even had a chair thrown at me during a conference back when I was in Zanarkand."

"Yeah I guess," Yuna replied. "I've just never had someone show me hatred like that without giving a reason."

Tidus grabbed her hand and started to lead her down the dock. He didn't care about the selections anymore. His new mission was to cheer Yuna up no matter what, and he still had another two hours until the matches actually started.

"Where are you taking me?" Yuna asked as they passed the entrance to the stadium. Tidus seemed to be leading her to the merchant area of the city.

Tidus stayed quiet as he continued to lead Yuna down the path. After a few more minutes, they finally reached the entrance to a small pub. Yuna noticed that it was the same pub they checked out five years ago during Tidus' first time in Luca while they searched for Auron.

"Why are we here?" Yuna asked.

"You'll see," Tidus answered. He led her into the pub. The second they walked through the door, everyone turned to face them.

"Lady Yuna!" a bunch of people shouted in unison. Nearly everyone in the pub got out of their seats and crowded around her. They all wanted to shake her hand, take a picture, or get her autograph.

"I'll leave you to your fans," Tidus said with a smile as he walked over to the bar. "Just water for me. Gotta keep my body clean for today's matches!"

"I'm rooting for you Sir Tidus," the bartender said with a fist pump.


	2. Chapter 2-New Life

"We're playing Luca in the first round," Beclem told the rest of the Aurochs. "You guys better not choke this early, even if we are playing the Goers."

The rest of the Aurochs, minus Tidus, sat in the locker room. They were only thirty minutes from their first game, and they were getting themselves pumped for it. Beclem, still considered the coach of the team, was also the new captain of the team as the Right Fielder. His attitude was still less than desirable, but his knowledge and skill in blitzball was undeniable.

"Now I made a couple changes to the lineup," Beclem continued. "Our defense is already strong enough, as always, but our offense has had a couple holes the past few practices. I'm going to start at Right, and Tidus will play Left. Datto, you're riding the bench today, and Vilucha will start at Center instead."

"Vilucha's been hurt all off-season though," Datto protested. Vilucha sat on the bench with a nervous look on her face.

"Beclem, I've never started at Center," Vilucha said. "I'm not the best passer, as you already know."

"But even though you've been hurt, you still have higher endurance than most of us," Beclem replied. "Somehow that small female body of yours can actually take some hits, and with that, you might be able to get a defender off of me or Tidus so we can make a shot."

"You can do it," Datto told Vilucha. In his head, he was somewhat relieved he was sitting on the bench. He knew he was the team's weakest link, and preferred to stay on the bench until he could improve more."

Suddenly the locker room door opened, and Tidus came through. He was still in his regular clothes, and was whistling as he walked in. Everyone turned to stare at him, and Beclem had an outraged look on his face.

"Uh, hi," Tidus said quickly. He dropped his bag and grabbed his uniform from out of it.

"You were supposed to go to the selections with me," Beclem snapped. "How are you going to become captain if you can't even do something as simple as that?"

"Oh you'll survive," Tidus replied with a carefree tone. "Yuna and I had to help a lady find her missing son. A guardian's job is apparently never complete."

Beclem's face was almost completely red. He was no longer mad about Tidus being late, but was furious over Tidus' seemingly complete lack of respect.

"I should put you on the bench for this," Beclem shot.

"You're going to sit your best chance at winning the cup?" Tidus asked through a chuckle. "I knew you were a little out there, but I didn't think you were that dumb."

Beclem threw his clipboard to the floor. "Listen Tidus, I don't care who you are or what you've done in the past. In this locker room, I am the coach and leader of this team and you will show me respect."

"Calm down, Beclem. You're real smart when it comes to blitzball, and you're not a bad player either. However, I don't too much care to deal with your high and mighty attitude. Keep in mind you asked me to join the Aurochs. I find it funny that you neglected to ever mention the Gullwings have their own blitzball team. That tells me that you were worried I'd want to play with them if I knew."

Beclem didn't say anything in response. Tidus was exactly right. He didn't mention the Gullwings for that very reason. If Tidus would have joined the Gullwings, they would have instantly become the favorites to win the cup. They already had more strength than most teams, so putting a star offensive player on the roster would have been too much for almost anyone.

"Let's just win this cup," Tidus finally said. "I'll play my hardest for you guys, and I guarantee we'll take that cup back to Besaid!"

The rest of the team cheered in response. Beclem was a good coach, but Tidus was far better at motivating the team. He had a naturally high level of energy, and it fed into everyone around him.

"Welcome to today's main event!" the announcer called across the stadium through loud-speakers. "The Crystal Cup Blitzball Tournament will be underway in less than ten minutes, and I don't think anyone could wait any longer! Our first match of the day will be between the Ronso Fangs and the Gullwings, and everyone is excited to see the Gullwings back in action. We get to see our High Summoner Yuna play alongside her fellow sphere hunters as they try to make a run for the championship. Experts have predicted the Fangs to win this match, but since we haven't seen the Gullwings in action for so long, who knows what surprises they have in store for their opponents."

The Gullwings players walked down the tunnel that led to the giant blitzball sphere. Yuna's heart was pounding, but it was due to excitement more than nerves. She knew Tidus would be watching and she wanted to play well for him. She was pretty positive she would never reach his level, but it was a dream come true to share another interest and skill with her love.

"We're totally gonna win!" Rikku exclaimed as she practically hopped down the tunnel.

"Calm down," Paine said. "You don't need to be wasting energy before we even start playing."

Rikku didn't listen as she kept bouncing around. She only stopped when she noticed Wedge carrying a nervous look on his face.

"What's the matter Wedge?" she asked.

Wedge quickly looked at her. "Oh, I'm just a little nervous. Before I joined the Gullwings, I hadn't played blitzball in almost three years."

"You'll do fine," Shinra said. "I started you because you have great hands. It'll be hard to get a pass past you, and I can breath easier knowing you're defending my goal."

The team reached the end of the tunnel. The Ronso Fangs were already warming up in the water, so the Gullwings didn't waste anymore time and entered the sphere as well. There were five minutes left until the match would start. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine all took the forward positions with Rikku at Middle. Buddy and Wedge took the defensive positions, with Shinra at Goalie.

"Stay calm and look for your holes," Tidus said quietly as he watched from the locker room.

Once the match started, the Fangs went full-force on the Gullwings. Their superior natural strength kept the Gullwings from doing much on the defensive side as the Fangs endured almost every hit. Shinra also had a hard time stopping the shots from the powerful offensive players. By the time halftime arrived, the Gullwings were losing three to one.

"They're strong," Rikku gasped through exhaustion.

"Stop trying to match their intensity," Paine said. "They're Ronso, and they're slower."

"We're YRP!" Yuna exclaimed. "Let's use our awesome teamwork and run circles around them!"

The second half shocked everyone in the stands. The Gullwings exploited the Fangs' lack of speed and simply out-swam them. Yuna scored three goals on her own, and Paine scored another one. The match ended with the Gullwings squeezing the win out with a score of five to four. The crowd responded with loud cheers for their High Summoner and her team, and the Ronso were gracious through their loss.

"She won!" Tidus exclaimed loudly.

"I don't see how that's a good thing," Beclem said. "If they keep playing like that, we won't even reach the championship."

"You've never had a girlfriend, have you?"

Tidus gave him a funny look. Beclem didn't say anything back, and turned his back to Tidus while looking at his clipboard. Tidus smiled and shook his head. Beclem always acted like he was reviewing something on that clipboard whenever he was shut up. It was his way of hiding his humiliation.

The tournament continued as the day moved forward. The Bevelle Devoters narrowly lost to the Guado Glories in the second match. In the third match, the Kilika Beasts pulled off a miracle by beating the Al Bhed Psyches with a score of one to nothing.

The sun was finally beginning to move down as the final match of the day approached. The Besaid Aurochs would be facing the current champs, the Luca Goers. The Goers were known for their stifling defense, and everyone knew they'd make it their mission to stuff Tidus. Beclem wanted Tidus to serve as a decoy while he and Vilucha would do most of the shooting, but Tidus refused. With his confidence and pride, Tidus made his teammates agree to keep him involved.

"Here we are folks," the announcer declared. "The final match of today's first round. This is the match everyone has been waiting for. A rematch of last year's championship in the first round! The difference, though, is the return of Sir Tidus for the Aurochs. Five years ago, he was almost solely responsible for the Aurochs' victory of the Goers in the championship match. I think everyone is just as excited as I am to see what amazing shots he has in store for us."

"You better know what you're doing," Beclem told Tidus as they reached the end of the tunnel to the sphere.

"Hey, calm down," Tidus said with a wave. "I'm not the best blitzball player in the world for nothing."

Beclem rolled his eyes as Tidus dove into the water. The rest of the team followed closely behind. The Goers were already in the water, and they all stared Tidus down as he warmed up. It was already evident that they'd be attacking him throughout the entire game.

"You think he'll play good?" Rikku asked Yuna as they sat in the locker room. "It has been a while."

"He'll score at least three points himself," Yuna responded.

"What makes you so sure?" Buddy asked.

Yuna smiled. "I just know."

Buddy and Rikku looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. They weren't sure if Yuna knew something they didn't, or if she was just using wishful thinking.

Vilucha readied herself in the center of the sphere, with the opposing player in front of her. The ball was positioned in front of them, and they waiting for it to launch up to start the match. Tidus watched from his left position with his fists clutched tightly. His heart was pounding with excitement as he came to realize he was finally playing blitzball again. This time, there would be no kidnappings, fiend attacks, or the thought of a world-saving pilgrimage in the back of his head. There was only blitzball.

The ball fired up suddenly, and Vilucha reacted quicker than her opponent. She grabbed the ball, then took a hit from the opposing middle player, then passed the ball back to Jassu. Jassu caught it and began to swim forward. He barely dodged the attack of a defender, then quickly passed to Tidus.

Tidus saw the ball moving his way, and adrenaline kicked in. He caught the ball and swam at an amazing speed toward the goal. Two Luca defenders frantically swam over to intercept, but Beclem knocked off-path. The other defender stopped in front of Tidus with a fierce look on his face. Tidus smirked, then threw the ball straight above his head. The defender swam upward to intercept, but didn't expect Tidus to swim up as well. Tidus rolled over until he was upside down, and threw his foot into the ball, launching it directly above the defender's head and toward the goal. The goalie watched the ball approach at an amazing speed, and panicked as the ball slammed by him and into the goal. He could feel the water displacement as the ball flew by him, and he had no hope of catching it in time.

"There's a goal by Tidus of the Aurochs!" the announcer shouted. "With amazing power, his signature sphere shot even scared the goalie!"

Beclem swam by Tidus and gave him a high-five and nod. Tidus winked with a smile, then swam to his starting position. Beclem simply shook his head with a smirk of his own. Tidus was certainly proving his claim of being the best.

The first half ended with the entire stadium erupting in cheers of excitement. Tidus had completely shocked and dominated the Luca Goers' defenders by scoring three goals, all of which were practically completely uncontested. On the defensive side, the Aurochs continued their pressure like always and only gave up one goal. The Goers were essentially looking like a team of rookies against the skills Tidus brought.

"Good job Tidus," Beclem said in the locker room. "I hate to admit it, but you were right. I've never seen someone play like you before."

"Good to see you were finally brought to the light," Tidus joked. He stood up and offered a high-five to Beclem, and after a slight hesitation, it was returned. "So team, we're up by two, but let's not go easy on them now! Beclem, let's get you more involved on offense. They're gonna double team me the whole second half, so if we have Vilucha make moves like she's gonna pass to me, then defer to you instead, they'll be caught with their pants down."

Beclem didn't argue with Tidus' plan. He had a thought that Luca would anticipate such a strategy, but didn't worry about it. If Luca did see it coming, then they could just as easily revert back to having Tidus dominate their defense on his own. Either way, the Aurochs had a massive advantage going into the second half.

"And here come the players for the second half," the announcer called. "The Goers will have to dig deep to find a way to stop the Aurochs and score some goals."

The second half began, and the Goers claimed the ball first. They were clearly making an attempt at playing with more intensity as they caught Jassu and Letty off-guard on the defensive side. Within thirty seconds, they scored a goal, putting them only one point behind the Aurochs. Beclem gave the defense an angry look before getting to his starting position.

Play started again, and Vilucha claimed the ball. She instantly passed the ball back to Letty, who wasn't expecting the pass. He fumbled the ball, but managed to grab it just before a Goer would have claimed it. After taking a hit from the same player, Letty threw the ball across the field to Jassu. Jassu gripped the ball tightly and swam around one Goer, then passed to Vilucha. A defender managed to smack the ball, causing it to fall of-course, and Tidus was forced to swim forward to reach it. Once he had it, three Goers all swam his way. He didn't have a chance to pass it back to anyone as he got surrounded.

"Looks like they finally have Tidus cornered!" the announcer called. "I'm not sure Tidus can get out of this one!"

Tidus let go of the ball, and punched it with his fist. The ball flew forward and smacked one of the defenders in the face, knocking them back. The ball rebounded back to Tidus, who proceeded to kick it toward a second defender's face, knocking him back as well. The ball then bounced upward, and Tidus followed it. He swam up and spun his body in rapid circles, then kicked his leg out, throwing his foot into the ball. The third defender tried to stop the ball, but didn't reach it in time. The ball flew far faster than anything anyone had seen before, and before the goalie could blink, the ball was in the goal.

"Whoa!" the announcer screamed. "Tidus pulls off a spectacular shot, one that he inherited from his father, Sir Jecht. By the way it looks, there is no possible way to defend a shot like that!"

With that shot, the Aurochs reclaimed the momentum, and the Goers were shut down completely for the rest of the half. The Aurochs switched to a gameplan centered around wasting clock time, and didn't score anymore goals. By the end of the match, the score was four to two in favor of the Aurochs, with Tidus scoring all four goals.

"What'd I tell you?" Yuna bragged to Buddy. "He's the best ever!"

"Oh you're just a lovesick puppy," Buddy joked. "You'd say anything in his favor."

Yuna smiled and nodded. "That's true, but there's nothing to say that's not in his favor."

Buddy shook his head with amusement. All of the members of the Gullwings could tell how much happier Yuna was since Tidus returned. She was always optimistic, and loved to share that optimism. She was even more successful when they went on missions. She claimed not to be doing anything differently from what she always did, but everyone suspected she had her own training on Besaid when she would be with Tidus.

Yuna jumped to her feet and quickly left the locker room. She moved around to the other end of the stadium where the Aurochs' locker was. The Aurochs hadn't returned to the locker room yet, so she leaned against the wall right outside the door. Only a few minutes later, the team came from around the corner, high-fiving each other and joking around. Tidus was glowing with happiness as his teammates continued to praise him, but he forgot everything when he noticed Yuna ahead of him.

"Hey you," Yuna said with a smile.

Tidus ran to her and picked her up while hugging her. Whenever they would spend much time apart, he always gave her the same type of hug, almost as if he hadn't seen her in months. Yuna didn't mind either because it always reminded her of how important she was to him.

"You know you're still wet," Yuna said after Tidus ended the hug. Her shirt was completely soaked because of it.

"Yeah, I forgot," Tidus responded with a smile. "Hey, come here."

Tidus repeated what he did the earlier in the day when he dragged Yuna to the pub. Yuna was less resistant the second time and eventually walked next to him. Tidus led her up to the northern part of Luca where it led to the Mi'ihen Highroad. Yuna noticed a chocobo standing next to a young woman who seemed to be waiting for someone.

"What are you doing?" Yuna asked through a chuckle.

Tidus didn't answer her as he walked toward the woman and the chocobo. "Thanks for this, Lina. Tell Rin I owe him big time."

"It was our pleasure," the woman responded happily. "Anything for Sir Tidus and Lady Yuna!"

Tidus turned to Yuna and held his hand out for her to grab it. Yuna smiled as she took his hand and was helped onto the chocobo. Immediately after, Tidus climbed onto the chocobo as well.

"Where are we going?" Yuna asked as she wrapped her arms around Tidus.

"You'll see," Tidus answered.

Tidus ushered the chocobo forward, down the Mi'ihen Highroad. The chocobo was a little larger than the average chocobo, but it also seemed to be slightly faster than average too. Within ten minutes, they reached the center of the highroad, where the travel agency was. Rin was leaning against the outside of the building with a smile.

"Welcome Lady Yuna," Rin said with a bow. "It's been quite a while. It is a pleasure to see you are well."

"Thank you Rin," Yuna replied. "It's good to see you too. You want to tell me what's going on? Tidus is being a butthead."

Rin chuckled, then pointed to the hill that sat in front of the agency. Yuna turned her head and saw a table sitting at the top of the hill, a flower and candle in the center of it. Two chairs sat across from each other.

"I always wanted to come back here to see the sunset again," Tidus said. "This idea dawned on me while we were on our way to Luca for the tournament."

Tidus climbed down from the chocobo then helped Yuna down. Yuna didn't say anything, but the surprised look on her face said it all. She stayed quiet because she was at a loss for words. Instead, she embraced Tidus with a big hug. Tidus smiled largely, then turned his head toward Rin. They nodded their heads at each other, then Rin entered the travel agency.

"Come on," Tidus said as he ushered Yuna toward the table on the hill. He led her to the table, then pulled the chair out for her. Once she was seated, he took his own seat right before Rin and a woman arrived with two large plates that were covered.

"Fresh baked fish caught at Mi'ihen's fishing docks this morning," Rin said as they sat the plates down. "Courtesy of Rin and O'aka's Travel Agency. And to drink, we have a well-aged wine imported straight from Bevelle. Enjoy, you two."

"Thank you," Tidus replied. Rin bowed, then he and the woman left the two lovers alone.

Yuna was still speechless as she looked at the setup. The sun was beginning to set, sending orange, red, and pink colors across the sky. She knew that Tidus loved the sunset, but she had never mentioned how much she loved it herself.

"It's nice to finally have a normal life," Tidus said. "I've always wanted this for us. No distractions from vicious fiends or deadly gods."

Yuna giggled after Tidus' statement. "No, now we have to dodge hoards of fans and reporters, and I have to worry about politics on a near daily basis."

Tidus reached across the table and held Yuna's hand. "Trust me, I'd rather have this over what we had before. At least I don't need a sword to deal with fans. Or at least I hope I never have to!"

Yuna laughed, and Tidus quickly joined in. The sun was slowly leaving sight and the area was growing darker. After only a few more minutes, their only light was a few lamps that sat around the table and the candle in the center of the table.

Yuna slowly ate her food, but Tidus could tell she was distracted by something. She didn't appear to be worried, but Tidus knew her too well not to notice something was going on.

"What's on your mind?" Tidus asked.

At the same time Tidus spoke, Yuna said, "I need to tell you something."

They both chuckled, then Tidus ushered for Yuna to talk. She looked down at the table for a few seconds, then looked up to Tidus. Just as she opened her mouth, Tidus suddenly spoke.

"Actually, can I say something first?" Tidus asked. Yuna smiled and nodded. "Well, I've been thinking about this for a while now. Honestly, it's been on my mind since before the elections started. Yuna, I've been in love with you since we traveled together on the pilgrimage. I've always loved how kind and caring you are, your seemingly endless optimism, and how can adapt to any challenge. You're also the most beautiful girl I've ever known, and I'm not saying that just because you're the girl I'm with."

Yuna could feel her face warm up as she blushed. Tidus was still holding her hand across the table, and she caught herself squeezing his hand a little harder.

"One thing that I've come to know since I've come back is that I want to spend my life with you. I want you to be my wife."

Yuna stared at Tidus in shock. She shared his feelings, and wanted to be with him forever. She hadn't expected a proposal, however. She stood up from her seat and walked around the table to Tidus. Without saying anything, she wrapped her hands around Tidus and began to hug him tightly.

"I love you," Yuna finally said softly. "I'd love nothing more than to be your wife, and you my husband."

They continued their embrace for what seemed like hours to them. Eventually, Tidus pulled away so he could look at Yuna's face. She had a tear of joy trickling down her cheek.

"I have something to tell you," Yuna eventually said. Tidus responded with a nod. "I found out right before we left Besaid, but I was going to wait until after the tournament to tell you. I'm pregnant Tidus."

Tidus' face froze in shock after hearing Yuna's words. He didn't show any emotions outside of his surprise. Yuna couldn't tell if he was happy or worried.

"Tidus?" Yuna said, concerned.

Tidus finally looked into Yuna's eyes. He no longer had the look of surprise, but it was replaced with a look of anger. Fright began to overtake Yuna as she began to worry about why Tidus was angry.

"Yuna," Tidus finally said with a more serious tone. "Why the hell are you playing blitzball! You should be way more careful!"

Relief fell over Yuna. Her pounding heart began to calm down as she realized that Tidus was only worried about her. She smiled and shook her head.

"I wanted to play blitzball with you," Yuna said. She sat down in Tidus' lap. "Besides, the doctor on Besaid said I'm early enough in the pregnancy for there to be no real risk. This will be my last tournament, then I'm ending my short career."

Tidus kissed Yuna on her cheek. "Well I'm here for you. I can't say I ever expected to be having a child this young, but knowing it's with you makes it perfect. There's no one I'd rather have a family with."

Yuna heard those words, and they were perfect in her ears. She leaned in and shared a long, passionate kiss with her love. Back in the travel agency, Rin watched them through the window with a large smile on his face.

"Good for them," Rin said. "More than anyone else in Spira, those two deserve to live a happy life."

"Good morning blitzball fans and welcome to day two of the Crystal Cup Tournament!" the announcer shouted into his mic. "Round two will begin in less than an hour, with the winners will be facing each other in the championship match this afternoon. In the first match, we have the Guado Glories facing off against the surprising Kilika Beasts. In match two, we get to watch High Summoner Yuna and the Gullwings play against the Besaid Aurochs and their offensive juggernaut, Sir Tidus! Without a doubt, today will be a day to remember!"

Tidus sat in the Aurochs locker room, listening to Beclem lay out the gameplan for their upcoming match against the Gullwings. His mind was still in the previous night. He had planned to propose to Yuna for a while, but the addition of her pregnancy just added to the wonderment of the night. It admittedly made him incredibly nervous, but those nerves couldn't overtake the reminder that it was with Yuna, the love of his life.

"You listening Tidus?" Beclem suddenly called across the locker room.

Tidus snapped out of his daydream and face Beclem. "Not really, but I'll be fine."

"It's not you I'm worried about. If you don't know the gameplan, then you could screw your teammates."

"Ok, so what's the plan? Pass the ball to me and I shoot? Sounds like yesterday's plan."

Beclem gritted his teeth in frustration. "You're playing Middle today, and Vilucha is playing Left."

Tidus' attention was more alert at that point. "Why the hell did you do that? I've always played left-field."

"Rikku is the Gullwings Middle. She is far faster than your average Middle, so we need someone who can keep up with her and can hopefully wear her down over time. You're still our number one for goals, but you'll have to depend on me and Vilucha to bring defenders our way to open holes for you."

Tidus didn't entirely like the idea, but it made sense. His short attention span eventually caused him to look up at the screen to watch the first match, which is beginning its second half. The Guado Glories were winning three to one, making the Beasts' first win look more like a fluke. The only thing Tidus saw from them that was remotely impressive was their hard-hitting defensive players. After a big hit, Tidus' eyes widened and he got to his feet.

"Listen team," Tidus began as he stepped in front of Beclem. "No one is to hit Yuna head-on, no exceptions. If you can't get her from another angle, then you don't go for her at all."

"What?" Beclem snapped. "I don't care if she is your lady, in this game, she is your opponent. She has too much offensive ability for you to not allow our defense to play the hardest."

Tidus flashed a stern look at Beclem. Beclem was caught off-guard, having never seen that kind of look from Tidus.

"Listen, this isn't about me wanting to go easy on her because of who she is," Tidus replied. "Yuna's pregnant. The doctor says it's safe to play right now, but I don't want to take any chances and I couldn't convince her to sit out completely."

Beclem didn't say anything back. The rest of the team jumped to their feet to congratulate Tidus, all of them happy for him. Jassu and Letty also spoke out and said they would follow his wishes not to hit her head-on. Beclem still didn't like it, but there was really nothing he could do about it.

By the time the first match ended, the Aurochs were dressed and ready to play. The Kilika Beasts had pulled off a second miracle in a row by winning the match four to three, keeping the Glories from scoring a single goal in the second half. Beclem called it a blessing because the Beasts' luck would have to run out eventually. The Aurochs had to deal with the Gullwings first, however.

"I hope you realize that you're going to have to keep scoring," Beclem told Tidus as they walked through the tunnel to the sphere. "With weaker defensive coverage on Yuna, she's going to have a shooting spree."

"Fine, then I'll just score every time she does," Tidus responded. He was trying not to snap at Beclem, but it was proving difficult. It seemed that Beclem only cared about the game, and nothing else.

"Here we go; the match we've all been waiting for!" the announcer called out. "We see the explosive Besaid Aurochs face off against the speedy Gullwings. Everyone is saying that the winner of this match will be the automatic favorite to take the cup. With only five minutes until the start of the match, I'm on the edge of my seat!"

Tidus led his team into the sphere and took his place at the center. Shortly after, the Gullwings entered as well, but Tidus was shocked at their formation. Yuna suddenly swam out and took the center in front of Tidus, carrying a large smile on her face. Tidus gave her a confused look, but only got a wink from her in return. After that, Tidus sent his attention Beclem's way, who was equally confused. Rikku had taken the right field position where Yuna originally was, putting her against Beclem. The rest of their team held their normal positions.

Tidus' heart began to pound, seemingly out of his chest. He was already nervous about having to play against Yuna, but he hadn't planned on having to cover her himself. Being honest with himself, he wasn't sure he could even bring himself to hit her at all. He felt like his heart would break a little more each time.

Before Tidus knew what was going on, the ball suddenly shot up to start the match. Yuna wasn't as distracted and quickly claimed the ball for her team. Before Tidus knew what was going on, Yuna was swimming past him and quickly headed toward the goal. Jassu made a move to hit her from the side, but Yuna did a type of barrel roll in the water to dodge him. Once she got back to swimming, Letty caught her off-guard by brushing against her right side and stealing the ball. He quickly swam through the sphere until he reached the center. Beclem was wide open, so he passed it to the captain. Beclem reached out to grab it, but Rikku's immense speed allowed her to intercept and take off with the ball.

Tidus quickly followed Yuna around the sphere, but he noticed that they weren't making any serious efforts to get the ball to her. Instead, Rikku dodged an attack from Letty, then passed the ball to Paine, who shot the ball immediately after and scored their first goal. The entire Gullwings team was much faster than they had anticipated, and Tidus could tell it was effecting the team. Everyone except himself was already beginning to swim tired.

"There's the first goal for the Gullwings!" the announcer called. "It really seems like they have the advantage with their superior speed. And they haven't even been using Lady Yuna, the MVP of their first match."

The game resumed, and Tidus reacted much better the second time. He claimed the ball and began to swim closer to Vilucha to get the ball to her. Before he had a chance to pass, Yuna suddenly slammed into his side and knocked him away. Tidus tucked the ball and managed to keep possession, but could see Yuna coming in for another move. He sprung into action and right as Yuna reached him, he held his hand out and put it on her shoulder. With a tough shove, he pushed off from her shoulder and did a type of flipping maneuver over her head, then quickly began to swim toward the goal.

"What did he just do?" Yuna asked herself as she watched Tidus swim away from her at an incredible speed. She couldn't help but smile.

Tidus could see Wedge moving in to stop him, so he decided to take the shot. He kicked the ball straight up, the followed it and began to spin his body for momentum. Quickly after, he kicked the ball with immense power, sending it toward a nervous Shinra in the goal. Wedge couldn't get a hand on it in time, but Buddy suddenly came out of nowhere and smacked the ball off-course. The ball slapped against the edge of the goal, then flew away from the goal completely. Wedge swam to intercept the ball, confident no one else would reach it first, but Tidus suddenly appeared from above him. Tidus cut Wedge off completely, but didn't grab the ball. He threw his foot against the ball with all his strength, and before Shinra could react, the ball was flying into the back of the goal right as the first half ended.

"A buzzer beating goal by Tidus to tie things up at the half!" the announcer shouted. "I don't think anyone was expecting that!"

Tidus began to swim toward the Aurochs' tunnel to join his team. Yuna swam by him and brushed her hand along his arm. Tidus smiled as he continued to swim for his tunnel. So far, he wasn't forced to do anything he didn't want to do.

"What kind of move was that?" Jassu asked Tidus in the locker room.

"It has an amazing name," Tidus said with enthusiasm. "I call it luck!"

The team laughed after they realized Tidus was joking. The only person who wasn't amused seemed to be Beclem, who was staring at his clipboard.

"I'm switching you back to Left," Beclem told Tidus.

"Like hell you are!" Tidus snapped. "Yuna's playing Middle, so I am too. I can keep her in check."

"You better. I'm sure they're making plans for her right now."

The second half began and continued to put pressure on Tidus. Just as Beclem predicted, the Gullwings made an effort to get Yuna much more involved. As Tidus covered her, he made attempts to steal the ball and slow her down, but was too nervous to ever deliver a hard hit. After Yuna score two straight goals on the Aurochs, things were beginning to look down.

Beclem rose his hands in frustration while facing Tidus. Tidus just flashed him a look before returning to his position. The only chance the his team had was for him to take control.

Yuna faced Tidus at the center of the sphere. She still carried the same large smile, but Tidus didn't share it. His eyes were locked on the ball, his face as serious as it could get. Yuna's smile weakened upon seeing that.

The ball shot up, and Tidus reacted almost instantly and claimed the ball. Yuna moved toward him, but Tidus performed a seemingly impossible spin move around her and quickly swam toward the goal. Only seconds later, he took a hit from Wedge, but kept the ball and shot it with a powerful kick. Shinra barely touched it with his fingertips as the ball hit the back of the goal. Everyone in the sphere looked at Tidus with a shocked and confused look. Whatever kind of move he used to get around Yuna, it had never been seen before.

Tidus returned to the center. There was a minute and a half left in the second half, so he needed at least one more goal to send the match to overtime. His eyes locked on the ball once again as he waited for the game to resume.

"So this is the blitzball Tidus," Yuna thought to herself. She knew it was still her Tidus, but he acted completely different in the sphere. "I'm not sure I like this."

The match began again, and Tidus once again reacted far quicker than Yuna. Yuna readied herself to stop Tidus from using the same move as before. Tidus recognized her adjustment so stopped and passed the ball to Vilucha. Vilucha caught it and saw Tidus take a roundabout route around Beclem, causing Yuna to lose him. He circled back around and caught a pass back from Vilucha. After dodging a hit from Buddy, he performed yet another sphere shot, and this one blazed into the back of the goal without any interference.

"And the game is all tied up with only thirty seconds to go in the game!" the announcer shouted. "Sir Tidus seems to have taken complete control of the match all on his own. His teammates are just sitting back and enjoying the show!"

The ball shot up, and for a third time, Tidus claimed it. Yuna's heart was pounding as Tidus swam closer to her, still carrying the serious look. Right as he reached her, he stopped, but didn't pass. Vilucha was being covered too well, as well as Beclem. There wasn't enough time to pass it to Jassu or Letty and get the ball back before time would run out.

"I could use the Jecht Shot to knock Yuna out of the way," Tidus thought to himself. "But I can't throw a ball into her face. I couldn't live with myself."

Tidus glance at the clock. Fifteen seconds remained in the half, and the score was tied. He considered letting the clock run out and take it to overtime, but he suddenly saw a hole.

Yuna saw Tidus look into her eyes, and he nodded to her. Suddenly he was throwing the ball directly toward her. She reacted and caught the ball, confused to now end. Before she knew what was happening, Tidus swam toward her and ducked underneath her. He grabbed her feet and yanked on them, causing Yuna to lose her composure and she let the ball slip out of her hands. Tidus snatched the ball, turned around, then kicked the ball with all the strength he had. Shinra waved his hands toward the ball to stop it, but it flowed right past him and into the goal just before time ran out.

"And the Aurochs have done it!" the announcer screamed. "With three goals in less than two minutes, Sir Tidus has saved the Aurochs and brought them into the championship match!"

The Aurochs all crowded Tidus with happiness. He was smiling and excited as well as he accepted the hugs and high-fives. Yuna watched from a distance, worried about how serious Tidus suddenly got during the match. She eventually turned and left the sphere.

"I hate your attitude, but damn," Beclem told Tidus in the locker room. "I've never seem someone blitz like you do. Kilika doesn't stand a chance this afternoon."

"I'm not the best for nothing," Tidus bragged happily. "Thanks, but I'm gonna head out. I'll be back for the championship."

Before Beclem could say another word, Tidus was running out of the locker room. It was clear that there was no controlling the man, so it was easier to just let him do his thing.

Tidus ran around the stadium until he reached the Gullwings locker room. He could hear Rikku's loud voice yelling at someone, and then Brother's voice came in. Brother was blaming the loss on her for not scoring any goals of her own. Paine followed up by threatening to cut Brother's lips off if he didn't shut up. A few minutes later, Yuna, Rikku, and Paine all exited the locker room at the same time.

"Hey girls," Tidus said.

Yuna smiled, but didn't say anything. Tidus could tell something was bothering her, and so could Rikku and Paine. Paine grabbed Rikku's arm and pulled her along down the hall until they were out of sight.

Tidus grabbed Yuna's hand. "What's wrong?"

"I don't like playing blitzball against you," Yuna answered shyly.

"You didn't like it!" Tidus exclaimed through a chuckle. "I was miserable the whole time! I was afraid of you getting hurt the whole time."

"You didn't seem worried." Yuna put her head on Tidus' shoulder.

Tidus smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. At that moment, he realized just how intense he had gotten in that match. He gave Yuna a kiss on the forehead.

"I'm not trying to brag, but I could have done much worse," Tidus said, and noticed Yuna let out a very small snort. "Oh you don't believe me!"

Yuna took her head of Tidus' shoulder and looked at him. "I think you were just scared I was more than you expected."

"Ha! You can believe that," Tidus laughed. They were finally walking through the stadium to get something to eat. "That last shot could have been much easier. Instead of that little trick I pulled on you, I could have just as easily used my Jecht Shot to knock you out of defense and get an open shot. And you know I can hit a lot harder than that."

Yuna started to think about it on a deeper level. In the first round, Tidus had hit one of the opposing players so hard they fell out of the sphere completely. He also used the Jecht Shot once, knocking two defenders away completely.

"You know, you really are the best," Yuna said.

"Years of training hard," Tidus responded. "Blitzball was my life until I came to Spira."

"I'm not just talking about blitzball." Yuna put her hand on her stomach. "You're the best at everything. You're Sir Tidus, the famous guardian who helped influence the change this world has gone through. You know, I don't think we would have defeated Sin and Yu Yevon without you."

"How so?"

"Before you came, no one questioned the teachings of Yevon. We all accepted it, fearing we would face Yevon's wrath if we didn't. I think I would have performed the final summoning if you weren't with me. You showed us that we don't have to live in fear of Sin returning every time we killed it."

Tidus had never though much about the pilgrimage. While there were some good memories, like meeting and falling in love with Yuna, it was also a dark time. He was far more interested in the future, with marrying Yuna and having their child.

"So where do we go from here?" Tidus asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Well, to start, you need to win the Crystal Cup this afternoon," Yuna said jokingly. "Then we can return to Besaid, make plans for our wedding, and finally have a life together."

"Sounds like the perfect plan."


	3. Chapter 3-Prevent a War

"You're doing well ya?" Wakka asked Tidus as the two sat in Wakka's hut.

"Yeah, I'm just tired," Tidus responded. "With Yuna having to travel to Bevelle a couple times a month, I have to chase the little one around on my own."

"Haha!" Wakka laughed loudly at Tidus' complaint. "The life of having a kid ya? She's getting older at least."

Tidus and Wakka maintained their close friendship as the years passed. Wakka was Tidus' best man in his and Yuna's wedding, and spent the whole day Yuna gave birth waiting outside for the news.

Yuna and Tidus had a beautiful baby girl, whom they named Chandale. Tidus always melted into a butterball when around his daughter, and did anything to make her happy. With Yuna's responsibilities in the quorum forcing her to travel to Bevelle, Tidus forged a very close relationship with his daughter.

"I swear the older she gets, the more energy she finds," Tidus said. "Now that she's ten, all she wants to do is practice blitzball with me."

"Well enjoy your time right now," Wakka responded. "Lulu promised she would give us the whole day and she would watch Vidina and Chandale."

"Chandale was excited. Our kids became pretty good friends."

"Ya, they have. I just hope the so-called war doesn't find it's way here."

Tidus' thoughts drifted off after Wakka mentioned a possible war. As Spira's locations grew into their own nations, the world's leader were forced to try and prevent separation between the nations. Bevelle was being threatened by the Guado in an effort to separate themselves from what had been called the Spira Union. After the Macalania Forest nearly completely died off, the Guado moved in and turned it into their new city while still saving some of the nature. The issue was that they wanted to make their own laws and sanctions, and not be forced to follow the Union's laws. The disagreement led to standoffs with armed soldiers from both sides, but no shots had been fired at that point.

"Yuna doesn't think it will," Tidus said finally. "I'd have to agree with her. The Guado would be stupid to invade an island that holds three of the High Summoner's guardians."

"I hope so," Wakka replied.

"We can't let a ware break out," Yuna pleaded to the panel she stood before in Bevelle.

President Baralai, who was serving his third straight term, sat behind her. He was ready for a war, but Yuna refused to condone such an action. She made it her goal to keep the peace.

"What would you have us do?" Nooj asked from the floor. "The Guado refuse to listen to reason, and we cannot ignore the weapons they have pointed at us."

"The Guado have grown large and powerful the past ten years," Rin, the Mi'ihen leader said. "They have the single largest military force of any one nation."

"I did not bring the Eternal Calm just so we could have wars against each other," Yuna declared. "It was a war that brought Sin in the first place. It was because of a war that a devastating machine called Vegnagun was built. If we let a war begin now, we will fall right back into the cycle that has constantly threatened Spira's existence."

"Then I suggest you meet with the Guado yourself," Leblanc, the Syndicate leader spoke out. "You seem to have a knack for bringing peace, love."

Yuna didn't want to have to step up like that, but Leblanc had a point. She might be the only person who could bring the peace back. Just like any other incident in the past, she was willing to do whatever it took.

"I will meet with them," Yuna finally agreed.

Yuna stepped away from the podium and sat back down in her seat on the floor. Baralai proceeded to step in front of the podium. He was clearly tired and stressed, and wanted nothing more than to not worry about anything at the moment.

"Yuna, you realize there's a chance they could attack," Baralai eventually said.

"I understand," Yuna replied. "But we can't just sit here and wait for someone to take the first shot."

"Very well. I will send a four man escort to serve as your bodyguards."

Yuna shook her head. "No bodyguards. I'm going on my own. If we send soldiers with me, it could be perceived as a threat."

"Yuna, you can't go in unguarded," Gippal spoke up. "That's just not smart."

"Gippal, you, Nooj, and Baralai all should know I can handle myself just fine. If something happens, I will get out as quickly as possible."

Yuna got up from her seat and left the conference room. No one tried to speak out and stop her. If anything was learned about Yuna over the years, it was that once she had something set in her mind, there was no stopping her. She fought what what she felt was right, no matter the consequences.

"Daddy!" Tidus heard his daughter shout from outside the hut.

Wakka snickered as Tidus got up to see what she was shouting about. Once he was outside, he could see Vidina running in the opposite direction, and Chandale right in front of the hut with tears in her eyes. He knelt down and accepted a hug from his daughter.

"What's wrong?" Tidus asked compassionately.

"Vidina stole my toy!" Chandale complained while wiping her tears.

"Well get it back sweetie."

Chandale finally stopped crying. "But Vidina's faster than me! He's older."

"Here's the secret," Wakka suddenly said from the hut's entrance. "You have to sneak up on him and tickle his sides."

Wakka imitated a person tickling another while talking. Chandale started to laugh loudly. She hugged Wakka, then started to run after Vidina.

"Why do I have a feeling she's going to be a handful even when she's older?" Tidus asked through a chuckle.

"Well at least they can grow up in peace, ya," Wakka replied. "I didn't get much of a childhood outside of blitz."

"Yeah, you're right about that. So where's Lulu, the supposed babysitter?"

Tidus noticed Wakka had a nervous smile on his face. Before he knew what was happening, Lulu was slapping the back of his head.

"Ow!" Tidus shouted. "I swear you're getting stronger as you get older!"

"Maybe you're just getting soft," Lulu suggested. "But do you expect me to keep up with these kids at all times?"

"Come on Lu, you were a guardian. You've handled worse."

Lulu shook her head before moving to catch up with the kids. Wakka had stayed back, laughing the whole time. Tidus smirked as he shook his head. He and Lulu had forged a type of relationship based around Tidus poking fun at her, which in turn would try her already short patience.

"You know bruddah, you used to be afraid of her," Wakka poked.

"Yeah, but that was before I knew that she's really a softy underneath that shell she wears," Tidus replied. Tidus looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set. "Yuna was expected back this afternoon. I wonder what's going on."

Wakka slapped Tidus' back. "I'm sure it just ran longer. They're trying to stop a war after all."

Tidus nodded, then started to walk back toward the hut. He stopped when he heard a loud roar, followed by a huge increase in wind. Suddenly the Celsius swooped over the village, then landed at the newly built landing pad to the left of the village.

"See, there she is now," Wakka said.

Tidus jogged toward the Celsius and reached it just as the ramp was lowering. His expression changed when he only saw Rikku and Paine walk off the airship. Rikku carried a worried look on her face.

"What happened?" Tidus asked, completely flooded with worry.

"Baralai contacted us this morning," Paine said. "Yuna went to Macalania yesterday to meet with the Guado, but hasn't come back. She refused to bring guards, and she hasn't attempted to reach us on a commsphere."

"We wanted to come and tell you that the Gullwings are going to attempt a rescue," Rikku continued.

"Then I'm coming with you," Tidus replied.

"Daddy!" Chandale suddenly called as she ran toward them. "Where's Mommy?"

Tidus put his hand on her head. "Honey, I've got to go with Aunt Rikku and Aunt Paine for a couple days. Wakka and Lulu will take care of you until we get back."

"But I wanna go! Why can't I go?"

Wakka picked Chandale up and patted her back. "Don't worry, your dad and mom will be back in no time. They're going on a business trip, so they can't have kids with them."

Chandale didn't understand, but she stopped arguing. Tidus mouthed a thank you to him, then ran onto the Celsius. Rikku and Paine followed closely behind. Once they were all on the bridge, the ship jumped into the air at full speed.

"So what's the whole story?" Tidus asked.

"Baralai was preparing for war, but Yuna refused to let that happen," Paine answered. "She agreed to speak with the Guado leader personally, and without any armed guards."

"I guess she hoped her history with Tromell would make it easier," Rikku said. "She forgot that Tromell tried killing her long before he was nice to her. We're going to jump into Macalania from the Celsius and move straight for the capital."

"But what about the war?" Tidus asked, concerned for not just Yuna's well-being, but for the peace of the nations. "If we go in, how will the Guado not see that as an act of war?"

"The Gullwings don't belong to any nation," Buddy replied from his navigation seat. "If we go in, the Guado won't have any reasonable grounds to declare war."

"Well then I'm glad you made me an honorary member of the Gullwings." Tidus pulled the Gullwings patch that was given to him out of his shirt pocket. He carried it with him just about everywhere.

The Celsius blazed through the sky at max speed. It was by far the fastest airship in all of Spira, and proved it by circling the entire continent in less than half a day. Brother, no matter how annoying he was to everyone, had become an excellent pilot. He even made it his mission to remind people of that on a daily basis.

Tidus sat in the cabin, sharpening his sword with a wet stone. Once they dropped into Guado territory, they had to be ready for a battle, even if they didn't get one. Years ago, he had been offered a garment grid like what the other Gullwings members had so that he could change jobs in battle, but he refused. He wanted to stick to using his Brotherhood sword, a symbol of his friendship with Wakka. It wasn't the most powerful sword he owned, but it was more than enough for anything he would have to face.

"We'll be over Macalania in five," Buddy called through the intercom system. "Gullwings, get to the ramp. I'm going to hover about ten feet above the tree line, and you'll have to jump and use the trees to slow your drop."

Tidus sheathed his sword and ran for the elevator. Once it opened, Rikku and Paine were both already in it. The ramp was on the far end of the engine room, and whenever it would open, an automatic bulkhead would rise up to guard the engines from any debris flying around.

"We go in, find Yuna, and get out," Paine said. "We're not here to start any fights."

"No arguments here," Tidus replied. "We have a daughter to go home to."

The ramp slowly began to open, showing the tall treeline of Macalania. The forest was almost completely dead, but the Guado had managed to preserve a portion of the trees on the north end. The Guado capital was only a short walk from those trees.

"You see what I'm seeing?" Rikku shouted over the wind.

Rikku was pointing at a large crowd of Guado. They were facing the Celsius, all holding weapons. Most held long, narrow swords, but some also carried rifles. The rifles were pointing directly at the ramp.

"I guess this won't go peacefully after all," Tidus remarked.

"Maybe it's just precautionary," Paine said. "Let's wait and see."

The three waited until the ramp was fully extended, and when Buddy gave the all-clear, they all jumped at the same time. As soon as they were in the air, they could hear the Guado firing the rifles off. Bullets whizzed by as they hit the trees, using the branches to slow down until they could safely drop to the ground.

"Rikku, use your alchemist dressphere to fire back on those riflemen," Tidus said. "Paine, use any blade job to flank out the rest of the Guado while they're distracted by Rikku."

"What about you?" Rikku asked as she accessed her garment grid.

"I'm going straight for the capital."

"Alone?" Paine asked. "You're going to want backup."

"I'll have backup once I get Yuna. Go help Rikku."

Tidus jumped into a full sprint in the opposite direction. He stayed off the path and ran through the trees and bushes in hopes of staying out of sight. More Guado were running from the capital to provide backup against Rikku and Paine. Tidus knew those two could handle themselves, so he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the more the Guado sent toward them, the less there would be for him at the capital.

"You will be released as soon as the president agrees to our terms," a tall, unknown Guado said.

"He'll never agree," Yuna responded. She stood behind a set of steel bars in the bottom floor of the capital building. "Where's Tromell? He's your leader, right?"

"Tromell is a naive old fool," the Guado replied. "He's in his own cage, and has been there for months. He doesn't have what it takes to lead the Guado."

"You're making this harder for yourself." Yuna eyed the room and noticed her guns hanging on the opposite wall. "The Gullwings will be here for me."

"Oh they're already here. I've had soldiers waiting for the past twenty-four hours. I wanted to be sure they had the welcome they deserve."

Yuna's worry increased after he said the Gullwings were already there. Paine and Rikku were incredibly skilled in battle, but two people against an entire army was a near impossibility. She had to find a way to get out of the cage and to her weapons.

A second Guado suddenly burst through the door. "My Lord, Sir Tidus is attacking the capital building right now!"

Yuna's eyes widened in surprise. Tidus was upstairs, but where was Rikku and Paine? Her sense of urgency increased even more.

"Let me out and I promise there will be no repercussions," Yuna said.

"I'm not falling for such a weak trick," the Guado snapped. "I've seen you eying your weapons."

The Guado picked Yuna's guns off the wall, then opened a trapdoor that sat in the middle of the room. Yuna could only assume the door led to the sewage system underneath. The guns were dropped down the hole, and a few seconds later, a splash was heard.

"I am High Summoner Yuna, and I do not lie," Yuna urged. "You want what you feel is best for the Guado. Let us talk about this diplomatically. I'm sure we can come to some kind of accord."

The Guado ignored her and left the room, locking the door behind him. A tear formed in Yuna's eye. Her only hope at that point was for Tidus to survive the assault.

"Where's Yuna?" Tidus demanded as he held a Guado by his shirt collar. The Guado was severely injured by Tidus' sword running through his leg, but refused to talk.

Five more Guado arrived in the room and started to fire their rifles at Tidus. Tidus dropped the Guado and dove behind a large stone sculpture. Bullets pinged off the stone, chipping away at it slowly. Tidus swung his head around, trying to find a way of escape. A door was open about ten feet away, so he jumped to his feet and sprinted for the door. Just as he dove through the door, a single bullet managed to hit the back of his leg.

"Shit!" Tidus shouted as he slammed the door and locked it. He shoved a large wooden desk in front of the door, then dropped to the ground. He examined his leg, and was relieved to see the bullet only grazed him.

"Where is he?" the leader asked as he reached the large room.

"He's barricaded himself in that office," a soldier replied, pointing to the room Tidus was hiding in.

"Sir Tidus," the leader called. "You have nowhere to escape to. I commend you for your bravery. You live up to your reputation as Lady Yuna's greatest guardian. Surrender and I promise that neither you nor Yuna will be hurt. We do not want war, only our freedom."

"You have freedom!" Tidus shouted through the door. "Just because there are laws doesn't mean you are slaves. The laws established by the Spira Council are there to keep the people safe, as well as uphold the peace."

"You may believe that, however, we only see a system built to keep us from making our own decisions."

"Who are you?" Tidus finally noticed that the Guado didn't sound like Tromell. "Where's Tromell?"

"My name is Naave Guado, the new leader of Macalania and the Guado. I have been accepted by the people, and will bring us into a life of independence."

Tidus didn't say anything back. Now that he knew the Guado's name, he knew that Tromell wasn't the one behind the disputes. His mission now was to find Yuna, then bring the new information to the council. After studying the room, a single window occupied the far wall, but it was too high to simply climb through.

"Paine, behind you!" Rikku shouted. She aimed her weapon a little to the right of Paine and shot a Guado.

"Thanks," Paine replied. She parried two blade attacks at once, then cut them both down.

The two Gullwings were holding their own, but the Guado seemed to keep coming. The Guado were being smart, not attempting too many head-on attacks. They were slowly surrounding Rikku and Paine, cutting off any paths for escape.

"This isn't looking too good," Rikku said as she and Paine stood back to back.

"No, it isn't," Paine said back. "Any ideas?"

"You're the idea girl! I got nothing."

Shots continued to fire toward them. Paine guarded herself with her blade, and Rikku continued to fire back in an attempt to keep them from staying steady.

"I really wish Yunie was with us," Rikku stated. "She'd shoot every one of those riflemen within seconds!"

Suddenly a group of nearly twenty Guado began to advance on them. They all carried blades, and their formation made it impossible for Paine to be able to block them all at once. The Guado began to run toward the two at full speed.

"So this is it!" Rikku shouted nervously.

Right before the Guado would have reached them, a massive flame shot up from the ground and acted as a wall between the Guado and the Gullwings. Confusion filled all of them until the Celsius swooped down from the sky. Lulu stood at the edge of the ramp with her hand pointing outward. A spiked blitzball suddenly flew down and slammed into three different Guado before dropping, then Wakka revealed himself next to Lulu.

"Ha, that's what I'm talking about!" Rikku shouted with excitement.

Wakka and Lulu both jumped off the ramp and repeated the same maneuver that the Gullwings had used with the trees. Once they were on the ground, the Guado began to nervously back away.

"Looks like we got here just in time, ya?" Wakka said.

"Eh, we had it under control," Rikku said unconvincingly.

"Where is Yuna and Tidus?" Lulu asked. She noticed a few Guado trying to sneak closer to them, so she blasted a large thundaga spell toward them. One Guado got hit and passed out while the other two turned and sprinted in the opposite direction.

"Tidus went to the capital building on his own," Paine answered. "We think Yuna's in there."

"I'll go help him," Wakka said. "Lu, cover me."

Lulu nodded, then waved her hand. Two massive fire walls lined the path the Wakka ran down, acting as barriers that protected Wakka from the Guado. Paine and Rikku both watched in awe over Lulu's power.

"I forgot how awesome you are!" Rikku exclaimed.

"Years of practice," Lulu responded with a smile.

Tidus finally stood up after he wrapped his leg injury, then approached the window. He pulled up a chair and tried to climb to the window. Disappointment filled him when he realized the window couldn't open. He grabbed his sword and started to bang on the glass with the hilt, but the glass wouldn't break.

"Great, now what," Tidus whispered to himself. He could hear the Guado beginning to blast away at the door in attempts to open it.

A couple minutes later, Tidus could hear the Guado shouted from the other side of the door. It sounded like the were struggling with something, then a few minutes after that, silence ensued. Tidus slowly approached the door and listened carefully.

"Where could they be?" Tidus heard Wakka's voice say.

Tidus' eyes shot opened, then he threw the large desk out from in front of the door. He swung it opened and saw Wakka standing in the middle of eleven unconscious Guado.

"Wakka!" Tidus exclaimed. "Man, I'm glad to see you! Wait, where's Chandale?"

"She and Vidina are on the Celsius," Wakka answered. "Once they dropped me and Lulu off, they went to Bevelle, so they're safe."

Tidus' heart finally began to steady again. "Ok, we need to search the lower floors for Yuna. I already swept the upper floors."

"Right behind you bruddah!"

Tidus and Wakka ran down a set of stairs that led to a dark hallway. They slowly moved down the hall, hoping there were no ambushes in waiting. Only one door occupied the hallway, near the end. Once they reached it, it was locked with a large padlock.

"Stand back," Tidus said. He gripped his sword, and with all the power he could muster, he swung the blade into the lock. The lock took a scratch, but nothing more.

"You're gonna break you sword doing that," Wakka said. "We could sure use Lulu to break this off with a spell."

Suddenly a gun fired from the other end of the hallway. Tidus and Wakka ducked in surprise, then noticed they had nowhere to take cover. Two Guado stood on the far end, firing the weapons toward Tidus and Wakka, aiming for their bodies.

"Guess we gotta do something crazy," Wakka shouted over the gun shots.

"Well we've never done that before!" Tidus replied sarcastically.

Wakka threw his blitzball down the hall, forcing the Guado to take cover. At the same time, Tidus took off into a full sprint down the hall. Just as the Guado turned the corner to shoot again, Tidus was right in front of them. He swung his sword around and sliced the ends of the guns clean off, then he kicked one of the Guado in his gut, and punched the others face.

"That's how you do it bruddah!" Wakka called across the hall as both Guado lost consciousness.

Tidus wiped his hands on his pants, then returned to the locked door. He studied it, but determined that he agreed with Wakka in needing Lulu. With the flick of her wrist, she'd have that lock off, and possibly the whole door with it.

"So what's the plan?" Wakka asked.

Tidus examined the door carefully. It was made of a type of steel, so there was no cutting through it. Even worse, the hinges were on the inside of the door, so they wouldn't be able to detach the door either. Whoever built the door did it with the intent of no one getting in without their permission.

"We're gonna have to find Lulu," Tidus finally said. "This is the last room, so Yuna has to be in there."

"You're correct on that," Naave suddenly said from down the hall. Tidus turned and pointed his sword at the Guado, who had is arms up in a sign of surrender.

"If you don't unlock this door right now, then I will cut you down right here," Tidus threatened. His voice was serious to a point that Wakka hadn't heard since the pilgrimage five years ago.

Naave slowly walked down the hall, keeping his arms raised. His face revealed that he was willing to comply with Tidus' demands. Tidus could only hope that it was because the Guado knew he couldn't win.

"You must understand why I went to these measures," Naave tried to explain. "We Guado have been looked down on ever since the incident with Maester Seymour and the slaughtering of the Ronso. We've received injustice after injustice because of it, even though Seymour is long gone."

"Well in the rest of Spira's defense, no one exactly tried to prevent Seymour's actions," Tidus replied. "If I remember correctly, you all went along with it when you attacked the Al Bhed home and the Ronso. However, we aren't here to condemn you for something that's in the past. Bring Yuna to me safely, and I'm sure we can figure this out without more bloodshed."

Naave nodded his head and approached the door. With Wakka and Tidus watching closely, he reached into his uniform and pulled out a chain of keys. After a few seconds of shuffling, he located the key for the lock and popped it open. Tidus shoved him aside and swung the door open, revealing Yuna in the cage.

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted.

"Tidus!" Yuna exclaimed happily. Tidus ran to the cage and grabbed her hand and gave her a deep kiss. Afterward, Yuna kept her lips close to his face. "Tidus, you can't trust him."

Tidus pulled away and nodded slightly. "Naave, why don't we all go to Bevelle and sit down with the council. President Baralai is an old friend, so he'll listen to me and Yuna."

Naave's expression was unchanged from before as he moved into the room. Tidus locked eyes with Wakka, who gripped his blitzball weapon tightly. Seconds later, Naave jumped toward Tidus, who reacted by moving out of the way of the attack.

"That was your last chance!" Tidus shot.

"Quite the contrary," Naave responded angrily. He approached the wall next to the cage and pressed a small, green button. Suddenly the ceiling above Yuna began to slowly drop. "Your beloved is in her last chance if you don't accept my terms of surrender."

Tidus gritted his teeth as he watched the ceiling slowly approach Yuna. "What are your terms?"

Naave smiled, but was filled with evil satisfaction. "Macalania and the Guado will be accepted as independent. You will sign a treaty that will guarantee you will not attack in the future, under the pretense that if you do, we will retaliate with full force. Bevelle will also fund the repairs to all that you damaged in your little escapade here."

"I can't promise you any of that," Tidus responded. "I'm not in the council. Even so, Yuna wouldn't even be able to promise that."

Naave tossed a commsphere to Tidus. "Then you had better contact your president quickly. I figure you have maybe five minutes until your wife is crushed."

Yuna was kneeling as the ceiling continued to drop. Her heart was racing as Tidus turned the sphere on to call Bevelle. In the past, she would have demanded that he not do it. This time, however, she wanted nothing more than to get out and be with her husband and daughter. She didn't care one bit about the politics.

"President, Sir Tidus has contacted us on the commsphere!" one of Baralai's assistants suddenly shouted as he ran through the office door.

Baralai jumped to his feet and ran to the communications room. Tidus face was on the screen, and Baralai could see the deep look of concern.

"Tidus, where is Yuna?" Baralai asked.

"You need to accept the Guado's terms to become an independent nation," Tidus said immediately. He pointed the sphere at Yuna, who was quickly running out of room. "He will kill her if you don't. You also have to provide the necessary funds for them to repair any damage we caused today."

Baralai hesitated for a few seconds before finally responding. "Very well, I accept the terms. Just get Yuna out of there."

Baralai didn't like accepting the Guado's terms, but he couldn't let Yuna get killed. If she was killed, there would be an all-out war that would end the Calm as they knew it. No one in Spira was more important in his opinion.

Tidus suddenly flipped the sphere off. "There you go, Naave. Baralai agreed, now let Yuna go!"

Naave pressed the button again, stopping the ceiling from dropping. "I appreciate your cooperation. Yuna will be freed as soon as the treaty has been signed. Shall we proceed to Bevelle."

"I'm not going anywhere without Yuna!"

Naave stepped closer to Tidus. "I suggest you come with me to Bevelle. I'm not prepared to negotiate these terms. You can even come back here with me to ensure your wife's safety."

Tidus' rage was flaring, but he had to keep it in check. One slip-up could cost Yuna her life. His only concern was bringing her home to their daughter.

"Tidus, it's ok," Wakka said from the door. He nodded slowly, but Tidus wasn't entirely sure what he was referring to.

"Alright, let's just get this over with," Tidus finally said.

Naave smiled and held his hand out to let Tidus leave first. Tidus began to walk, but was caught off guard when a blaze of fire suddenly engulfed Naave. Naave shouted out in pain as the flames persisted for a few more seconds. Tidus snapped into action by drawing his sword and running it through Naave's left leg. Naave screeched loudly, then fell to the floor. Tidus turned to the door and saw Lulu reveal herself.

"There won't be any surrender today," Lulu said coldly. "You mess with my family, I will burn you."

"Man I'm glad you're on our side!" Tidus called to her. Lulu smiled and nodded in response. "Now, Naave, how about you give me the keys to Yuna's cage?"

Naave hesitated until Tidus began to rotate the blade in his leg. Naave yelled out in pain, then tossed the keys to Tidus. Tidus caught them and tossed them to Wakka, who ran to the cage to let Yuna out.

"Now here are the new terms," Tidus began. "You will surrender yourself and any of your supporters, and you will tell us where you have locked up your real leader, Tromell. There will be no negotiation. You either accept, or I kill you right here."

Naave could tell Tidus was being serious. Fear began to fill him as he realized the mistake he made. He failed to take into account the number of powerful friends Yuna had.

"Fine, I surrender," Naave finally said. "I have no supporters. The Guado only acted in defense because I told them that the council declared war on us. None of them are at fault."

"I'll take your word for it," Tidus said. "But I will not hesitate to come back if anyone else tries something like this in the future. I may not be on the council, but you made it personal when you tried to kill my wife."

Yuna walked out of the cage and approached Tidus. "It's ok, Tidus. I'm fine, so we don't need to hurt him anymore. That's not our way."

Tidus saw the concern in Yuna's eyes. Even through everything, she didn't want Naave to be hurt more than he already was. Tidus finally pulled the blade out of Naave's leg and turned his back to the Guado.

"You and Yuna get out of here," Lulu said. "Wakka and I will escort Naave to Bevelle. Go find Rikku and Paine. They were organizing the Guado's surrender up above."

Tidus led Yuna out of the room and back upstairs. Yuna held his hand tightly the whole way. For the first time in a very long time, she was truly afraid of losing him again.

Right outside the capital building, Rikku and Paine were standing in front of around forty Guado who had given up their weapons. The damage outside of very extensive with almost every structure in the immediate area damaged in some way. Once Rikku saw Yuna, she shouted in excitement then hugged her.

"Yunie, you're ok!" Rikku shouted. "I was so worried!"

"Are you alright?" Paine asked.

"Yeah, they didn't hurt me," Yuna responded. "This war is over thanks to Tidus and you guys."

Rikku shook her head. "Nah, Paine and I just kicked a bunch of butt! Tidus did the heavy work."

Yuna glanced at Tidus, who was clearly happy, but still shaken up. She reached over and grabbed his hand and gave him a smile. He returned the smile with a weaker one of his own.

"I'm alright," Yuna ensured. "You don't need to worry. You save me, just like you always have."

"Why did you come here on your own like that?" Tidus asked. "I mean, I understand why you did it, but you should have known they wouldn't let you just walk in to talk. You're the ultimate bargaining tool for any enemy."

Yuna's smiled turned to a frown. "I'm sorry, I just had to do something. Baralai was ready to go to war, and I couldn't let that happen. We didn't fight to destroy Sin for good just so we could go back to fighting each other. I'd sooner see Sin back before I let that happen."

Yuna's words struck heavy when Tidus heard them. She had always been against conflict, but Tidus had never realized just how much until he heard that statement. Through the near ten years of peace, they hadn't really spoken much on the topic.

"Ok, then next time, tell me first," Tidus said with a compassionate smile. "I'm your husband and your guardian."

"I think I can agree to that," Yuna said with a smile of her own. "You handled negotiations pretty well on your own today. Maybe I should bring you to the council in the future."

Tidus threw his hands up. "No no! That's your territory. If you weren't involved in this, I'd still be on Besaid."

Yuna chuckled at Tidus' reaction. She knew he would say no, but loved hearing his response to it every time she brought it up. He even knew that was why she did it, but it was just another way to make her happy in his eyes.

"Well, another conflict solved thanks to High Summoner Yuna!" Rikku exclaimed. "The Celsius is coming around now, so let's get you guys back to Chandale!"

"Mommy!" Chandale shouted as she ran into Yuna's arms on the Celsius bridge.

"Oh I'm so happy to see you!" Yuna exclaimed as she squeezed her daughter tightly. Tidus knelt down and joined in the hug as well.

"I thought I wouldn't see you again," Chandale said as she began to cry. "I heard Brother say you were in trouble!"

Tidus shot a frustrated look at Brother for him opening his mouth around her. Brother gave a nervous apologetic face, then quickly turned to the pilot seat.

"I wasn't in any trouble," Yuna ensured. "Your daddy was with me. Wait, this is your first time on the Celsius! You like it?"

Chandale's crying almost immediately stopped. "I love it here! Can we live on this ship!"

Tidus jumped forward. "No, we don't want to do that."

"Your daddy gets airsick on the Celsius," Yuna joked.

"It's just because of Brother's flying!" Tidus insisted.

"Hey, I'm the best pilot in Spira!" Brother snapped loudly. "You were fine on Cid's ship when we left home!"

Everyone laughed as Tidus and Brother got into their traditional arguing. Eventually Yuna took Chandale down to the cabin and laid her down for a nap. With all the excitement of the day, she was out in a matter of minutes. Shortly after, Tidus arrived in the cabin as well.

"Drink?" Barkeep asked Tidus as he walked by the bar.

"Oh please," Tidus responded with exhaustion.

Barkeep poured a drink, then handed it to a grateful Tidus. Yuna sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder. Tidus smiled and put his arm around her shoulders.

"If Baralai doesn't let you take a vacation after this, then I'm kidnapping you," Tidus said.

"You won't need to kidnap me," Yuna responded. "I'll run away. I've been wanting to take Chandale to Gagazet for a while. She's been asking me about Kimahri for a while."

"You should retire."

Yuna turned her head to face Tidus. "I'm a little young to be retiring."

Tidus shook his head. "You've done more for Spira than pretty much the rest of the world combined. I think you deserve to live in peace now."

Yuna understood where Tidus was coming from. It seemed like every time Spira had a problem, she was the first person to act, and always ended up being the one solving the problem. It felt like a burden at times, but it also made her happy to help her world.

"If I don't do something, who will?" Yuna asked.

"I don't know, but that's the problem," Tidus answered. "Everyone's so used to you jumping in to solve their problems, they almost expect it from you now. You get visitors from all of Spira even when you're in Besaid trying to just live with your family. Maybe it's time Spira had a new savior."

"I don't think I could ever completely quit helping." Yuna rested her head back on Tidus' shoulder. "But I am considering resigning from my position on the quorum."

"Who would take your place for Besaid?"

"I'm surprised he didn't tell you. I spoke with Wakka about it before I left."

Tidus was a little surprised at her statement. "Wakka as the Besaid leader?"

"Sure, why not? He's always been very dedicated when it comes to his job and beliefs. He's also a natural leader. I know a lot of the Aurochs players come to him for advice all the time, even with you on their team. People flock to him."

"Yeah, that's true. He and Lulu are doing a great job raising Vidina too. Maybe you're right, and he's the perfect person for it."

Tidus finished his drink, then let out a long yawn that was followed by a stretch. Yuna took it as a sign that Tidus was ready for bed. The sun wouldn't set for another few hours, but after the day he just had, it wasn't a surprise that he was exhausted. Yuna took him by the hand and led him to a room in the back of the cabin. The Gullwings had built the room in specifically for Yuna and Tidus when they would be on the airship together. It gave them the privacy that everyone felt they deserved.

"Oh it feels so good to be on a bed right now," Tidus exclaimed through a long sigh.

Yuna smiled as she laid down next to him. "You still don't sleep well when I'm gone?"

"Never have." Tidus took Yuna into his arm so she could rest her head on his chest. "It's been a little easier lately just because Chandale has the occasional bad dream, then she wants to sleep in our bed."

"She is daddy's little girl," Yuna giggled. "She becomes more like you every day, and I think that's a great thing."

"Yeah, but she's inheriting both of our stubborn attitudes. Put our separate attitudes in one girl, and we have a very free-minded girl."

"She's sure going to be something when she's older."

Yuna began to picture what their daughter would look like as an adult. She had inherited a lot of Tidus' features. Her hair was a darker blonde, which Tidus and Yuna assumed it was because of her already brown hair, coupled with Tidus having darker hair in his younger years compared to the blonde he had now. She was also already growing taller. She was looking to get even taller than Tidus if she kept growing at her current pace. The only noticeable traits she got from Yuna was her skinnier physique, and even though both her eyes were blue, they had a faint look of the swirl of an Al Bhed.

"She says she wants to be a professional blitzball player when she grows up," Tidus said while he kept his eyes closed. "She practically demands I take her to the beach every day to practice."

"Just like her father," Yuna giggled. "She should go for it if that's what she wants."

"Yeah, I feel bad for her though. With the league raising the minimum age from thirteen to sixteen, she still has six years before she can join a pro team. At the rate she's practicing, she'll be playing at the pro level by the time she's thirteen or fourteen."

"Then she'll be an ace just like you when she finally starts. I never asked though, when did you start playing?"

Tidus started having flashes of his life in Zanarkand. Jecht had been playing blitzball even before he was born, so he had blitzball around him all the time. Even though Jecht never really supported him wanting to play the game, he still wanted to play like his father.

"I tried for real when I was around six," Tidus answered. "I started shooting in a sphere when I was ten, and joined the Zanarkand Abes when I was sixteen. They signed me after they saw me in a pickup game, then they found out I was Jecht's kid, so they didn't even care if I was really good or not. I started as more of a publicity move, but I was their top scorer from my first game on."

Yuna noticed that Tidus' words were drifting as he told his story. Before she tried to continue the conversation, she lifted her head and saw Tidus was pretty much completely unconscious. She smiled, then laid her head back on his chest and closed her own eyes.

"Thank you Tidus," Yuna whispered softly. "You rescued me again, just like I know you'll always do."


	4. Chapter 4-Birthday Tragedy

"Come on Chandale!" Tidus called from downstairs.

Tidus was frantically moving through his family's new two-story house that was built by the people of Besaid. It was given to them as a show of gratitude for everything they had done over the years, including their continued efforts of keeping the village safe from fiends.

Tidus was doing everything he could to get the house ready for his and Yuna's daughter. On that day, it was Chandale's sixteenth birthday, and everyone in the village was going to be there to celebrate. There was also a number of people coming from elsewhere to celebrate as well, including Kimahri and all of the Gullwings. Yuna was on her way back to Besaid with the Gullwings, who had accepted a sphere hunting mission near Zanarkand.

"You got one more chance to get up on your own!" Tidus called to his daughter again. "I'm not afraid to get Lulu to shoot another water spell through your window!"

Chandale turned over in her bed and shielded her eyes from the bright sun that shone through her window. After a grumpy groan, she finally sat up and threw her pillow at the door. Tidus heard the thump, and took it as a sign that she was finally awake.

"Hey bruddah, need some help?" Wakka suddenly asked while walking through the front door.

"Hey Wakka, no I think we're good," Tidus responded. "That is if the guest of honor ever decides to crawl out of bed."

Wakka laughed while Tidus returned to hanging a couple of birthday banners. Wakka decided to lend a hand even though Tidus claimed he didn't need it. Soon after, Lulu entered the house as well.

"Lulu, I need you!" Tidus said desperately. "Get that girl out of her room!"

Lulu shook her head with amusement. She walked upstairs and knocked on the door a couple times. She got no response, so she knocked again.

"I'm awake!" Chandale shouted from inside the room.

"It's me honey," Lulu called through the door.

Chandale swung the door open and pulled Lulu into the room. She was still in her pajamas with her medium length hair going off in every possible direction. She had a look of desperation on her face.

"I need your help," Chandale said.

"Seems everyone does today," Lulu responded with a chuckle. "What can I do?"

"Well first, use some kind of spell on Dad. He's way too uptight!"

Lulu let out a laugh, but Chandale didn't share a smile. "He's just trying to get everything ready before your mother gets back so she doesn't have to do any work. Besides, what's a birthday party without the birthday girl?"

Chandale didn't respond, half because she knew Lulu was right, and half because she didn't want to admit it. She finally changed into her regular clothes. She wore a long, flowing skirt with blue flowers on it. Underneath, she wore leggings, which allowed for her to remove the skirt if she wanted to go for a swim, or practice fighting with her daggers. She wore a white, sleeveless top and leather arm-guards. On her feet were basic flat shoes that provided good support for her and her more active lifestyle.

No matter what was going on or where she was going, Chandale always carried her two daggers. They were pretty basic daggers, but they were a gift from Rikku for her thirteenth birthday when Tidus agreed to let her help with fiend extermination. Shortly after that, a woman name Victori, who served as a combat instructor for the Youth League, moved to Besaid for the peace and quiet. Upon arriving, Tidus almost immediately asked her if she'd be willing to train interested people on Besaid for the sake of defending themselves against possible fiend attacks. She accepted, and Chandale became her start pupil.

"You're turning into a beautiful young woman," Lulu told Chandale as she helped with the teenager's hair. "I see so much of your mother's natural beauty in you."

Chandale smiled and blushed a little. "I could never be like Mom. She still looks like she's in her twenties!"

"Where's Vidina?" Tidus asked Wakka.

"He and the Aurochs had a morning practice to do," Wakka answered. "With the Crystal Cup Tournament next week, they're working real hard. Speaking of which, how did you not know about the practice?"

"Huh? Oh, I only practice with the team in the evenings. They don't even bother telling me about morning practices anymore."

Wakka chuckled while shaking his head. "Must be nice to be in your mid thirties and still play blitzball like an ace. If I tried to play now, I'd break my body ya."

"Well, to be honest, with Chandale old enough to join the team now, this is going to be my last year."

Wakka froze in place, in shock from Tidus' statement. Everyone had figured Tidus would play blitzball until he couldn't even pick the ball up anymore. Second only to his family, blitzball was his life.

"I can't believe you're gonna retire bruddah," Wakka said. "What are you going to do with yourself?"

"Spend more time with Yuna, maybe go on a few missions with the Gullwings," Tidus answered. "I might help coach the Aurochs training when they're here on Besaid. I'm just ready to finally relax for a change."

Chandale finally joined Tidus and Wakka downstairs, Lulu following closely behind. Tidus gave her a scolding look, which was received with an eye roll. Wakka chuckled and gave Chandale a hug and kiss on the forehead.

"How's my beautiful niece today?" Wakka asked.

"Tired," Chandale said half-grumpily.

"Maybe if you went to bed at a decent hour," Tidus chimed in.

Chandale crossed her arms in frustration. "I'm trying to make the Aurochs team before next week. I don't have time to sleep."

Tidus walked by Chandale and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He was carrying four chairs to the door to set them up outside. Wakka jumped to help him when he ran into the doorway with one of the chairs.

"You're gonna be fine," Tidus continued from outside. "You've already been accepted as a member of the team by everyone. And with Deato hurt right now, we might have to start you."

The Aurochs had completely changed over the years. All of the original players from Wakka's team had retired. Datto got married to a woman on Besaid, and they had a son, who they named Deato. Deato was one of the offensive players on the current Aurochs team, serving as the only connection to the original players. Beclem also retired when he was offered a position as a blitzball administrator in Luca. Tidus ended up taking over as both captain and coach at that point, and continued as such from then on.

"I can't start!" Chandale shouted nervously. "I've never even played a real game outside of practice!"

"Then you'll have to adjust quick," Tidus called back. "The Luca Goers are going to be extremely tough this year, just like last year. We're gonna need that fast swimming of yours."

Chandale almost immediately showed promise as an offensive player when she first started practicing. She wasn't anywhere near as powerful as Tidus was, but she could swim faster than anyone else on the team by a large portion. She also had excellent aim while shooting, which allowed for her to get the ball into the goal when others may have had a harder time.

"Maybe we should just give the ball to you the whole game," Chandale suggested. She was normally confident to the point of over-confidence, but she hadn't expected to play her first professional game in the Crystal Cup Tournament.

"Don't even think about it," Tidus responded. "You try that, then I'll fake an injury just to force you to step up."

Wakka and Lulu looked at each other with amusement. Tidus was a great father in every sense, but he and Chandale also argued a lot. Tidus was just as outspoken as he always was, but Chandale equaled that with her own stubbornness. She was always convinced that she was right, no matter what kind of proof someone would give her.

"Hey!" Vidina suddenly called from the entrance of the village. The Aurochs were all returning from their practice, still soaked from the water.

Chandale smiled and waved happily. She ran to meet Vidina where he was. "Hey, how was practice?"

"Well Deato decided to be stupid and practice, and ended up hurting himself even more," Vidina said with a hint of annoyance. "Now he's definitely out for next week's tournament."

Chandale rolled her eyes. "Not what I wanted to hear. Dad told me he's putting me on the team, and starting me in Deato's place."

"That's awesome though! Come on, I'm the best goalie in the league and you can get shots past me. You'll do great! Besides, look at who your dad is."

Chandale smiled and thanked him. Vidina began to walk toward his family's hut so he could change. Chandale followed as they continued to talk, first about blitzball, and eventually it strayed to other topics.

"Oh, I think we got a crush," Wakka said while nudging Tidus.

Tidus shook his head. "She's not having any crushes until she's at least eighteen."

Wakka laughed at Tidus, who didn't share the amusement. Tidus had turned into the traditional overprotective father when it came to his little girl. He refused to look at her growing up, and still saw the child that used to demand a kiss every time she fell over.

A few more hours passed before people started to show up for the festivities. Chandale had changed into her party dress, which was a full-body dress with no sleeves. It was ocean blue and flowed with the wind. She happily interacted with different people of the village while Tidus, Wakka, and Lulu helped people find their way to the food and drinks.

As the sun started to set, Lulu used a weaker fire spell to light the candles for paper lanterns. The entire village was lined with the lanterns, creating a beautiful setting for the night. Tidus' only concern was the lack of the Yuna and the Gullwings, who was supposed to arrive in the afternoon.

"I wonder if they got caught up," Wakka guessed.

"Normally she would have contacted me on the commsphere if that were the case," Tidus replied with a worried tone.

"Don't let Chandale see your worried," Lulu chimed in. "She's having a good time, and we don't need to spoil it with scary speculations."

Tidus nodded and agreed. He got up and walked into the house. He flipped the commsphere panel on and tried to call the Celsius, but it didn't even connect.

"There's only two reasons it wouldn't connect," Tidus said. "They've either got it disconnected, which I don't see why they'd do that, or something happened to the airship."

"They could just be over the Thunder Plains," Wakka guessed. "We can't assume something happened to them."

"We can't assume that they're fine either," Lulu suggested suddenly. "If we do that, and they're not, then we put them at more risk."

Tidus left the house and turned for the temple. The New Yevon organization had upgraded the inside of the temple for communication purposes, and it had a direct link to Bevelle. Tidus' hope was that Bevelle may have heard something on the Gullwings' whereabouts.

"Where's your dad headed to?" Vidina asked Chandale.

Chandale turned her head to Tidus, who was already walking into the temple. "I don't know why he's going in there. He never goes to the temple."

Chandale got to her feet to follow, but Wakka suddenly jumped in front of her. "Hey Chandale, how about a speech for your adoring fans!"

"What's Dad doing?" Chandale tried looking around Wakka to see if Tidus had walked back out.

"He just had a little bit of work to do real quick," Lulu chimed in. "He'll be right back."

Chandale had gotten very good at reading people, and knew Lulu was lying. Something was wrong, and she was guessing it had something to do with the fact that the Gullwings had not gotten back yet.

"Sir, Tidus wants to speak with you," Baralai's assistant said.

Baralai sat alone in his office while finishing a small bit of paperwork. His curiosity was peaked when he heard that Tidus was calling. They never spoke unless it was related to business, but at that point, they hadn't spoken in over six months.

"Patch it through to my sphere in here," Baralai said. "Thank you."

A couple minutes later, Tidus' face appeared on Baralai's commsphere. The link was a tad fuzzy, but the sound quality seemed to be decent enough.

"Tidus, it's been a while," Baralai began. "What can I do for you?"

"The Gullwings haven't come back from their mission yet, and their commsphere is disconnected," Tidus said, jumping right into the issue. "They were scheduled back earlier today for our daughter's birthday. You haven't heard anything, have you?"

Baralai's concerns began to grow. "I'm sorry, but I haven't. If something happened and someone witnessed it, word would have spread by now. Where was their mission?"

"Near Zanarkand."

"I will contact the Ronso to see if they possibly saw something from the mountain. Please stand by for a few minutes."

Tidus nodded and switched the commsphere off. He was quickly moving into a panic as he continued to worry about Yuna. It was hard to believe something successfully attacked the Gullwings, but it wasn't impossible.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" Chandale suddenly said from the door to the room Tidus sat in.

Tidus was startled and jumped a few inches before swinging around to see Chandale. She had a curious look on her face, but it was also worried. Tidus got up from his chair and put his arm around Chandale.

"Nothing's wrong," Tidus said. "I'm just checking on the status of your mother's return."

"What'd they say?" Chandale asked. "They were supposed to be back this afternoon, right?"

Suddenly the commsphere switched back on and Baralai jumped right into talking. "Tidus, I spoke with Garik Ronso. He says a few Ronso cubs claimed to have seen an airship under attack over the Zanarkand Ruins, but no one believed them. He offered to send a few Ronso to check it out."

Tidus' worries turned to fear with Baralai's statement. He was about to reply until he realized that Chandale had heard the whole thing as well. She stood still, trembling in terror.

"Shit," Tidus thought to himself. He saw Wakka enter the temple. "Hey Wakka, take Chandale out of here."

"Wait, where's Mom!" Chandale almost yelled as Wakka pulled her along. "Dad, what's going on?"

Once Chandale was out of sight, Tidus turned back to Baralai. "Tell Garik I really appreciate it. I'm going to find some transportation to get myself there as well."

"I thought you might say that," Baralai replied. "I already contacted Gippal over in Djose. He is sending his personal airship to transport you."

"Thank you Baralai. Send Gippal my thanks as well."

"You can thank him yourself. He's going to be your pilot."

"Why is that?"

"Yuna helped me, him, and Nooj an awful lot in the past. We owe her more than we could ever repay, so we're willing to do anything to help her."

"Then again, thank you very much."

Tidus switched the commsphere off and left the temple. The entire village was in silence and staring Tidus' way. They must have heard Chandale and grew curious and worried. Kimahri stepped forward from the crowd and approached him.

"Where is Yuna?" Kimahri asked with his deep voice.

"I-I don't know yet," Tidus answered. "Apparently a few Ronso cubs saw an airship under attack over Zanarkand, and that's where they were supposed to be. An airship is on its way to pick me up to search for her."

"Kimahri come too. Need more power with you."

Tidus didn't argue. If the Gullwings really were attacked, he could use all the strength and help he could get. Wakka stepped up next to volunteer himself.

"Wakka, you need to stay here," Tidus said. "You're needed to keep things going here on the island, and I need you and Lulu to look after Chandale until we get back."

"Anything for you bruddah," Wakka replied.

Chandale approached the small group. Tidus could tell that she was fighting back tears. As headstrong as she was, she still worried about her mother. Tidus walked to her and gave her a hug.

"Chandale honey," Tidus said softly. "I need you to stay here, but I'll be back and your mother will be fine. They all will be, I promise."

"I want to come," Chandale responded with a cracked voice. "I can help."

"No, Zanarkand is no place for someone your age." Tidus started to remember the more powerful fiends that occupied the ruins. They all made Besaid fiends look like a child's toy. "Stay here with Wakka and Lulu, and we'll be back in time for the blitzball tournament next week."

"But I don't want to be away from you. What if something happens to you too?"

Tidus pulled away from his daughter and smiled. "I'll be fine, and so will your mother. Remember, we're the ones who killed Sin. It would take a lot to bring us down."

Tidus gave Chandale a wink, and she gave him a weak smile. Tidus wiped a tear from under her eye and gave her a kiss on the forehead. All she could do was believe in her father. She felt that should have been an easy task, but she either wasn't around, or was too young, to see him back in his fighting days.

A couple of hours later, Gippal arrived with a small airship, which he had named the Rusa. The name was in honor of the Al Bhed's late home from Bikanel Desert. Tidus and Kimahri wasted no time in boarding the airship, and it only took a few minutes for Gippal to have it back in the air.

Chandale stood at the edge of the village, staring out at the sky in the direction the airship left. Even though she knew everyone on the island, she felt completely alone with both of her parents gone. A few more minutes passed before Vidina joined her. He noticed her shivering in the chilled breeze, so he took his jacket off and put it on her shoulders.

"They'll be back," Vidina ensured. "Dad's told me stories from their journey together. I don't think anything could beat them."

"My dad never would tell me stories," Chandale said back. "He said I didn't need to know them."

"That's because your parents suffered a lot during those times," Lulu suddenly said. "When they think back on those days, they're reminded of all the death and suffering that was around them. When they had you, they promised to never look back again."

Chandale understood, and didn't argue when her parents refused to tell stories. The gist of what she knew was through listening to a few of Wakka's stories. His stories weren't in deep detail, though.

"Let's go for a walk," Vidina suggested.

Chandale didn't say anything, but merely nodded. Before Vidina could do anything else, she started to walk toward the path that led to the beach without him. He gave a quick look to his mother, who motioned for him to hurry and catch up, then turned toward the path.

"I don't know about this," Wakka said nervously as he arrived next to Lulu. "Something don't feel right."

"Well you know I'm not one to go by feelings," Lulu replied. "But I think you may be right."

"I come here on my own a lot of nights," Chandale told Vidina as they sat on top of a large piece of ruins that sat about fifty feet out from the beach. "I'll sit against this big rock, that way no one can see me from the beach. It's not like I hate being around other people, but I can think out here."

Vidina listened closely, but didn't say anything. He could tell it was helping Chandale just to listen to her while she talked. The whole time she talked, she had her two dagger out of the sheaths and held them in a combat ready position.

"Some nights I even fall asleep here," Chandale continued. "Mom and Dad get real mad when I don't come home at night, but they know I'm not doing anything so they don't argue too much. But hey, I've been doing all the talking. You're the one who wanted to go for a walk, so what's up?"

Vidina froze suddenly. He hadn't really considered what they could talk about. His plan was to go for a walk, but it didn't progress any from there. After a few more seconds of silence, he grabbed his longsword from its sheath.

"You been training?" Vidina finally asked.

"Yeah, I have," Chandale answered, but she was a little disappointed that was all Vidina said. "Victori would kill me if I didn't. That and Mom has been teaching me white magic the past few months, but I barely know how to heal someone, let alone some of the more powerful spells that she knows."

"That's ok, though. I only know the basic black magic spells from my Mom. I'm a lot better with just my sword."

Vidina held his sword like it was a prized possession. It was very long and narrow, and had two sharp edges rather than one, which allowed him to cut from any direction. He preferred it that way because it made up for his lesser agility in battle.

Chandale stood up and pointed one of her daggers at Vidina. "Wanna spar?"

"What?" Vidina said, confused. "Spar now? Isn't it a little dark out here?"

Chandale gave away a smirk. "You scared?"

Vidina smiled, partly because he was amused, but more because he could tell Chandale was finally starting to feel better. He got to his feet and held his hand out. Chandale slapped it to signify their acceptance of their dual.

Vidina jumped down from the stone and into the water. Chandale got ready to jump in as well, but suddenly the entire are shook violently. Chandale fell back and into the water, almost on top of Vidina. Once she resurfaced, she spun around to try and find the source of the mini earthquake.

"Are you ok?" Vidina asked urgently.

"Uh, yeah I'm fine," Chandale answered while still searching the area.

"What was that? A fiend?"

"I've never seen a fiend that could cause an earthquake like that."

Chandale continued to look around until she noticed the water further out began to form into a whirlpool. She focused her eyes to try and see better, and horror struck her. Suddenly a massive fin rose up from out of the water, slowly nearing them.

"Get out of the water!" Vidina said frantically.

They both sprung into action and swam as fast as they could. They could see the fin continue to come closer to the beach as they did the same. Wakka and Lulu suddenly appeared from the path with their weapons.

"That can't be," Wakka said in shock.

"It's impossible," Lulu said.

Vidina and Chandale reached the sand and approached Wakka and Lulu. They both noticed the complete fear in Wakka's eyes, and the confusion in Lulu's. They seemed to know whatever it was in the water.

"What's going on?" Vidina asked. "What is that?"

"Go back to the village and get everyone underground," Wakka ordered.

"Wait, what's wrong?"

"Do what I tell you!"

Wakka's voice was harsh and strict. Lulu didn't say anything, but kept her eyes on the water. The fin had gone underwater and out of sight, but the water was growing more and more violent.

"I'm not going anywhere," Chandale said. "If you're planning on fighting whatever this is, then I'm helping."

"I can't let you do that," Lulu said.

Suddenly the water shot straight up like a geyser. Everyone watched the geyser get higher and higher until it just dropped back to the water. A few seconds later, a large creature dropped onto the sound. It deeply resembled a shark, but had four legs to walk on. It also had two tails rather just one, and its entire body was substantially larger than a traditional shark. It was at least twenty feet long, and stood almost five feet tall.

"What is that?" Vidina asked in shock.

"They call it Isonade," Lulu responded. "An ancient Aeon that summoners used until about five-hundred years ago."

"Why only until then, and how is it here now?" Chandale asked.

"The legend says that there were four Fayth that were corrupted by evil spirits, turning them dark. After that happened, the summoners who summoned them would lose control, and the Aeon would kill them."

"I don't know how it's here now," Wakka said urgently.

The Isonade roared loudly, revealing its massive, sharp teeth. Everyone took a defensive stance with their weapons.

"Vidina, you and Chandale need to get back to the village right now," Wakka demanded.

"Yeah, I'm going to argue with that anymore," Vidina replied. He grabbed Chandale's hand and began to lead her to the path.

The Isonade roared again, then jumped high into the air. Before they knew what was happening, the beast landed right in front of the path entrance. The beast clearly wanted all of them, and wasn't letting them get away.

"Looks like we're fighting after all," Vidina said with his sword up.

"This isn't just another fiend," Lulu reminded. "We have fought dark Aeons before, and there is a very real chance you could get seriously hurt. Stay close to us and do exactly as we say."

Wakka and Lulu moved forward to get between the Isonade and the kids. The dark Aeon roared once again, then jumped toward them. Wakka was the first to react by throwing his blitzball weapon straight at the beast's face. His blitzball of choice that day was made of solid steel with hundreds of tiny spikes all around it. Once the ball made contact, Isonade stumbled back, prompting Lulu to take action. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned up a massive bolt of lightning from the sky, filling the beast's entire body with powerful electricity.

"Vidina, I want you to get behind it while we keep it occupied," Lulu said. "Those tails are used to summon magic spells, so we need them gone. Chandale, you're the fastest one out here, so try and hurt its legs so it can't move as well."

Vidina and Chandale looked at each other nervously. They had fought plenty of fiends in the past, but never an Aeon. They grew up hearing the legends of the Aeons and their unmatched power and size. The idea of trying to kill one seemed impossible.

"Go!" Wakka shouted as he stumbled back from dodging the Isonade's claws.

Vidina was the first to act as he started to move far back, hoping the Aeon wouldn't see what he was doing. Chandale quickly moved afterward and ran straight for the Isonade. She held her daggers tight as she moved in and struck one of the back legs. The Isonade reacted by swinging its tails violently, knocking Chandale almost ten feet away.

"Chandale!" Vidina shouted.

"Get rid of those tails or it will happen again!" Wakka ordered. "Chandale, stay back until Vidina takes them out."

Chandale was still on the ground. The pain from the strike was more than anything she had ever felt. Her breathing was temporarily labored, and her arms were covered in scratches. At that point, her fears only grew, almost to a small panic.

Vidina got close to the Isonade and dove underneath its body feet first. He gripped his sword and swung it with all his might and managed to slice clean through both tails. The Isonade roared loudly, then began to stop its feet. Vidina quickly rolled away, but his left arm was stomped on by the beast's powerful stomps. He kept rolling until he was safe, grabbing his arm in pain. Chandale ran to him to see if he was ok.

"Chandale, we can check him later," Wakka called. "Do your job!"

Chandale didn't know what to do. The sight of her friend laying on the ground with a damaged arm put her over the limit. She suddenly screamed loudly with sheer terror. Lulu ran to her and grabbed onto her tightly.

"I'll keep it occupied," Wakka told Lulu as he threw his blitzball into the Isonade's face.

Lulu continued to hold onto Chandale until she appeared to have calmed down. "Chandale, you need to calm down and think. I know it's scary, it always is. We have to fight, though. If we don't, then the entire village could be destroyed, and the people killed."

Chandale nodded slowly. She was still terrified, but she heard Lulu's words. She closed her eyes and tried to picture her parents in a battle. She imagined Tidus with his sword, slicing through enemies like they weren't moving. Yuna, in the background using her spells to support him the whole way. They wouldn't hesitate or stumble. They would do whatever it took to keep their loved ones and friends safe.

"Anytime now!" Wakka called as he narrowly dodged another attack from the Isonade.

Chandale looked up at the Isonade. It was vicious and large, but didn't have many attacks. She gripped her dagger tightly, then burst into a full sprint. Within seconds, she was behind the Isonade using both daggers to strike its two back legs at the same time. Before the Aeon could react, she already got three strikes on each leg. Lulu followed by using another thundaga spell, which caused a small explosion on the monster's back as the electricity flowed. After that, Chandale had reached one of its front legs and struck it another three times. With that, the Isonade could no longer move well enough to fight.

"We've got it, so let's finish it, ya," Wakka called to everyone.

Chandale continued to bury her fears and made her move for the last leg. Suddenly the Isonade began to disappear into a cloud of pyrflies. Everyone looked in confusion as their opponent completely vanished. They knew they hadn't killed it.

"Was it just dismissed?" Lulu asked.

"Looks like it, but by who?" Wakka responded.

"Dismissed?" Chandale asked as she helped Vidina to his feet.

"Aeons are summoned by their summoner, and when the summoner doesn't need it anymore, they are dismissed," Lulu explained. "But the dark Aeons didn't have summoners. We killed them and that was the end of it."

Chandale listened to Wakka and Lulu discuss the possibilities, but most of it didn't make much sense to her. Her main focus was bandaging Vidina's arm. Miraculously, nothing seemed to be broken, but it was severely bruised.

"Looks like I'm a one-handed goalie next week," Vidina said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Chandale didn't share his amusement. She couldn't shake the feeling that the attack was somehow connected to what was going on with her parents.

"What's that?" Lulu asked while pointing toward a large stone on the beach.

Everyone turned their attention to where she was pointing. A sphere sat on top of it, glowing brightly as if it were turned on. Wakka approached it and looked into it.

"There's someone talking, but they have their face covered up," Wakka said. He grabbed the sphere and brought it to everyone else.

"Sir Wakka, one of the famous guardians of High Summoner Yuna," the voice said. It was a man's voice, deep and stern. "I do hope you enjoyed the Isonade. I left this sphere behind for you because I figured my Aeon wouldn't be able to handle you and your wife, who happens to be another one of the High Summoner's guardians. I just wanted to give you a taste of things to come. First, let me tell you that your High Summoner is safe and alive. However, she will not be returning to you. She must face the penalty of her many crimes, and I am her judge. Not to worry, though. All of her guardians will join her soon enough. You are all accessories to her crimes, after all. That is all for now. I will see you all in Luca."

The sphere switched off suddenly. Everyone stood around in silence for a couple of minutes. There wasn't much to go off of from that sphere, aside from what appeared to be a deranged man who wanted unjust revenge on Yuna and her guardians.

"So Yuna is in trouble," Lulu said. She glanced at Chandale, who looked more worried than anyone.

"Ya, but Tidus and Kimahri are on it," Wakka said. "I think those two can handle it."

"I'm sure they can, but maybe we should go too."

Chandale looked up and stepped forward. "I don't think we should. Whoever that man is, he said he'll see us in Luca. Maybe if we go to Luca, then we'll find him."

"Or maybe it's all a big trap," Wakka replied.

"I'm sure it is a trap," Lulu agreed. "But we should go anyway. If we find and stop this man, then we find and rescue Yuna. Wakka, I think you should stay here."

"You're kidding?" Wakka didn't make any sense with Lulu's suggestion.

"No, you're the leader of Besaid. We need someone here to keep people from panicking, and even keep them safe from more possible attacks. Chandale and Vidina have the blitzball tournament next week, so the three of us will go."

"Ok, but don't do anything reckless. If anything too dangerous happens, then get away."

"What's going on?" a woman suddenly asked from the path. "Is everyone alright?"

Everyone turned to the woman and noticed it was Chandale's combat instructor, Victori. She was a rather short person, standing no taller than five feet, and was incredibly thin for someone in such good shape. Prior to moving to Besaid Island, she was a high-ranking member of the Youth League. After she sustained an accidental injury while doing a training mission, she chose to give the life up and live somewhere peaceful. Everyone in Besaid welcomed her happily, and Tidus offered her a free home in exchange for training Chandale.

Victori didn't fit the common description of a woman in her twenties. She wore a plain yellow, short-sleeve shirt and yellow pants. Her hair was long, but she always kept it tied up to avoid it getting in her eyes. Attached to her belt was two gloves, each with spikes on the knuckles. They were her weapon of choice due to her exceptional hand-to-hand combat skills.

"Everything's ok, Victori," Lulu responded to Victori's question.

"Oh, so that giant, walking shark was just a pet of yours?" Victori asked with annoyance.

Chandale knew better than to lie to Victori. It seemed to be an impossible task that only caused more trouble. To make life easier for everyone, telling the truth was ideal.

"We don't know much," Chandale chimed in. "It was a dark Aeon, from what Lulu and Wakka say. We don't know who or what summoned it, though."

Wakka rolled his eyes. He was hoping to keep the incident unknown to the rest of the villagers. The less people knew, the better.

"So you're going after the culprit?" Victori asked. "Just three of you?"

"Lulu can hold her own," Wakka responded. "And Vidina and Chandale are skilled too."

Victori crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Chandale knew that pose to be her "thinking" position. Traditionally, when she was in her thinking mode, it never ended in others' favor.

"If you're taking my student into battle, then I will have to come as well," Victori finally said.

"That's not possible," Wakka replied. "We can't risk being liable for other people."

"You're not liable for me." Victori's tone grew more harsh. "Lulu, you may be a highly skilled black magic user, but those two kids there are still novices. Do you expect to fight your best when you're looking after them at the same time?"

Lulu turned to Wakka. "She has a good point. She has experience battling high level fiends, and she is Chandale's instructor. She can give the best instruction to both her and Vidina."

Wakka still didn't like the idea, but he didn't bother trying to argue. If Lulu agreed, then it was already decided no matter what someone else thought. Instead, he just waved his hand in surrender.

"How's your arm?" Chandale asked Vidina.

They both sat on a rock near the water. Vidina did a good job at hiding any pain, but he couldn't lift his arm any higher than his chest. If it didn't recover much before the tournament, then he wouldn't even be able to swim in the sphere.

"I'm still alive," Vidina answered with a wink. "I wish I could have been more help, though."

"It's not your fault," Chandale said. She started to think back on the battle and how she froze. "I didn't do much better. We couldn't have known it was that powerful."

"We'll just have to make sure we're even more powerful the next time."

Chandale smiled and nodded. Vidina had an uncanny ability to cheer her up no matter the situation. He had an impossible level of optimism and loved to share it with others. He especially found joy in sharing that optimism with people who always acted negative.

"Vidina, Chandale, come here," Lulu suddenly called.

Chandale jumped to her feet and Vidina followed after her. They both knew what was coming by the look on Victori's face.

"Victoria will accompany you two to Luca," Lulu said. "I am going to stay here with Wakka instead, that way we can act if anything happens again. Victori will be in charge, which means you need to do as she says. She has the experience and knowledge, so remember that and you will be fine."

Chandale nodded, but hated the idea of Victori coming along. She was actually a nice person, but when it came to business, there was no one more strict. The slightest mistake would result in a long lecture that would never seem to end.

"What is the mission?" Victori asked for clarity.

"We're not entirely sure yet," Wakka answered. "Whoever summoned the Isonade left a sphere behind for us. He claims that he is out to punish Yuna and her guardians for their crimes. He ended the message by saying he will see us in Luca."

"What makes you think he'll show his face if you two don't show?"

"We don't know," Lulu replied. "But if Wakka and I go to Luca just to act as bait, we will be risking way more lives than if we stay here. At least here, we can quickly draw an enemy away from any people."

Victori could tell they thought it through. She understood that there was a chance nothing would happen in Luca, which would be a good thing. The only disappointment would be not finding out the identity of the culprit.

Lulu approached Vidina and gave him a hug. "You be careful now. Watch after your friends and keep them safe."

"I will, Ma," Vidina replied while hugging her back.

"Alright, we have a plan," Wakka said. "Keep each other safe and don't do anything reckless. Contact us when you're in Luca to let us know if you find anything."


	5. Chapter 5-New Allies

"When the Goers use a left flank formation, then you want to shift your position more to the middle," Vidina explained to Chandale. "You'll still be at risk of running into a defender or two, but it will be easier to pass if you need to."

Chandale was listening carefully to Vidina's coaching as they rode the SS Winno to Luca. She hadn't realized how many different gameplans there were in blitzball. Each team had different plans, different player skills, and different setups. The only thing that seemed to stay the same with each team was that their best offensive player set up on the left side rather than the middle or right.

"I don't have much experience in passing," Chandale said nervously. "Dad had me focus more on shooting and taking hits."

"That's fine," Vidina replied. "If you can take a hit, then the defenders will have a hard time with you. If you seem to be in trouble ahead, though, then you can always turn and pass back to a defender. They're usually pretty open when the offense is pushing forward."

Chandale continued to listen to Vidina explain different tricks she could use. As time passed, though, her thoughts started to fade back to when her father was training her on the beach of Besaid. He was incredibly strict with his instruction, but still showed love and support. The more she thought about it, the more she missed both him and her mother.

"Chandale?" Vidina noticed Chandale was no longer listening. "You alright?"

Chandale realized that she had zoned out. She quickly brought herself back to reality and shook her head with a smile.

"I'm fine," Chandale responded. "Just thinking."

"About your parents?" Vidina asked softly.

"Yeah, I just hope we can find Mom. And no one's heard from Dad since he left. What if he's in trouble too? The man in that sphere said he was after all of Mom's guardian's too."

"True, but your dad is the best guardian that ever lived according to everyone else. And Kimahri is definitely no pushover, either!"

The door to the cabin they were in suddenly opened. A tall man stood in the doorway, carrying a serious look on his face. He wore a long, white robe with black pants underneath it, and had a white helmet that covered his hair. Strapped to his back was a long spear that had a sharp point on both ends.

"What is it, Mowlin?" Vidina asked.

"Victori has informed me," the man answered. "The three of you plan to find the person responsible for the disappearance of the Gullwings?"

Mowlin was a high-ranking priest of the New Yevon sect. He was stationed at the temple of Besaid five years prior, and almost everybody took an instant dislike toward him. He wasn't "preachy" compared to most priests, but was still very outspoken when it came to his opinions. Even worse, almost no one agreed with most of his opinions. According to Tidus, the only good thing about him was his excellent skills in fighting fiends.

"That's right," Vidina responded to Mowlin's question.

Mowlin bowed down on one knee. "I request permission to accompany you on your mission."

Chandale and Vidina looked at each other in confusion. Mowlin had almost no relationship with either of them, nor did he have one with Chandale's parents. There didn't seem to be a logical reason for his desire to join.

"Why do you want to help?" Chandale asked. She didn't do anything to mask her dislike toward the man.

"I fully understand that most people in Besaid to not much care for me," Mowlin said. "However, your mother always made sure I was doing well. She showed me compassion when no one else would. I wish to repay her for her kindness."

"Well why did Victori tell you to ask us? She's the one in charge."

"Victori told me to come to you, Chandale, because it is your mother that's missing. The way I see it, Victori may be in charge of the mission, but you are the leader."

Chandale was shocked at Mowlin's answer. She didn't want to be the leader of anything. All she wanted to do was beat the crap out of the guy who kidnapped her mother, then return to her normal life.

"Can you give us a couple minutes?" Vidina asked.

"Certainly," Mowlin answered. "I will be on the main deck near the front of the ship."

Mowlin left the two alone immediately after he finished talking. For a couple of minutes, silence filled the cabin. They both thought to themselves on what would be the best course of action.

"Personally, I hate Mowlin," Chandale finally spoke up. "But he's probably even more skilled than Victori in a fight."

"My only problem is that he's a member of New Yevon," Vidina replied. "I hate traveling with those self-righteous know-it-alls."

"So do I, but we both saw what that dark Aeon was capable of. What if there's more, and even more powerful?"

Vidina couldn't argue with her logic. The more strength and experience they had, the better the chance they had in future battles should they come. Mowlin had proven his strength shortly after he arrived on Besaid. A small group of fiends wondering into the village one night and attacked a family inside their hut. Mowlin was the first to arrive, and eliminated all of the fiends before anyone else could respond.

"So what did she say?" Victori asked Mowlin as they looked out to the open sea.

"They are considering it right now," Mowlin answered. "I know neither of them care for me all that much."

Victori slapped Mowlin's back, making his stumble a bit. "That's because you don't keep that big yap shut! If you'd let people get to know the real you, maybe you could make some friends."

"I didn't come to Besaid to make friends," Mowlin snapped. "I went there to revive the temple and hopefully bring some spirituality back to the people."

"Good luck with that." Victori started to think back to her childhood when Sin was still around. Sin was killed for good when she was a teenager, but not before it killed her entire family in Kilika. After everything that happened, she quickly joined the millions who wanted nothing to do with anything spiritual.

"You don't need luck when you have faith," Mowlin replied to Victori's statement.

"Whatever you say," Victori said with a hint of sarcasm. "Most of Spira would prefer there be no spirituality at all. New Yevon has a very small following for a reason."

"I'm well aware of that. People forget that even New Yevon hates what happened in the past. Our beliefs have nothing to do with Yu Yevon or Sin. It is a new faith altogether."

Victori didn't respond after that. Mowlin was very skilled at saying things that are difficult to counter in an argument. As soon as people started to realize that, they stopped protesting to him altogether.

"We've come to a decision," Vidina suddenly said from behind.

Mowlin turned to face them. "I will respect your decision regardless of what it is."

"Neither of us can stand you," Chandale said with a short tone. "But you're very good in battle, and we could use that."

"Thank you for your offer, and we will accept," Vidina finished for Chandale.

Mowlin didn't say anything back. Instead, he bowed in gratitude, then walked away from everyone. Chandale still wasn't comfortable with him traveling with them, but she couldn't deny his usefulness in a pinch.

"That puts our little team at four," Victori said. "The more we have, the better chance we have."

"I hope so," Chandale said in response.

"Chandale, you know of all the guardians that traveled with your mother, correct?"

"Of course I do! They're like aunts and uncles to me. What's your point?"

"High Summoner Yuna had six guardians travel with her on her pilgrimage. Most summoners only had one or two travel with them. You mother, however, recognized the power than can be found in a group of people who trust each other with their lives. They grew stronger, not individually, but as a team. That is the only way they could have defeated Sin and Yu Yevon. You may not like Mowlin's personality, but you can trust he will look out for you no matter what."

"Whatever," Chandale responded. She didn't want to agree with Victori, so she could only act like she didn't care either way. "I'm going to sleep now."

"I think I'm going to go to my cabin too," Vidina said. "I wanna get some rest before we dock in Luca in the morning."

"Then good night," Victori said. "Good luck in the tournament. Mowlin and I will patrol the area the entire time. If we find anything or anyone suspicious, we will inform you."

Vidina yawned loudly before nodding to acknowledge. He didn't entirely agree with playing blitzball during a time like that, but it could very well work well as a bait for the culprit. They just had to be careful not to get anyone hurt in the process.

"Welcome all, welcome all!" the blitzball announcer shouted through the speakers that were stationed in every corner of Luca. "We have a lot of excitement ahead of us today as he kick off a new season of blitzball with the annual Crystal Cup Tournament! In just three hours, we will begin the tournament that will prove which team is the best!"

People roamed through the streets of Luca. Luca had changed significantly over the years. The city was enlarged, creating three new areas. One of the areas was solely residential, while the other two areas were packed with different tourist attractions. Tens of thousands of people would flock to Luca for the blitzball tournament, allowing for merchants to make more gil that day than almost the whole rest of the year.

"We do have some unfortunate news, however," the announcer continued to talk. "As most are already aware, the Gullwings' ship disappeared during a mission, as well as the crew, including our High Summoner Yuna. They are all still missing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them, and we hope to see them soon! Because they are missing, last year's champion, the Besaid Aurochs, will be receiving a first round bye. They are automatically in the second round."

"That's unexpected," Vidina said as they exited the ship.

"I'm not complaining, though," Borard, one of the Aurochs defenders said. "That means we only have to win two matches to be champions again."

The team immediately moved for their locker room on the east side of the stadium. It was the same locker they had every year. The locker room was slightly larger than the others, and as champions, the Aurochs were given complementary snacks and drinks as well.

The Aurochs were quickly changed into their uniforms and dove right into the gameplan. Without Tidus around, they had elected to bring Vidina in as the interim coach and captain. Even though he was the goalie, he had unmatched knowledge when it came to planning and knowing the opponent.

"How you feeling Deato?" Vidina asked.

"Little sore, but I say it's a miracle I can play at all," Deato responded. "I'll give it my all out there!"

Vidina nodded with a reassuring smile. "Chandale, with Deato less than one-hundred percent, we're going to need you to carry the blunt of the offensive plays. Moona will be playing at Middle to act as a bit of a decoy and shield for you."

Chandale had hoped they wouldn't need her too much. Her nerves weren't even close to calm, and with them depending on her, the feelings continued to get worse. The only thing she could think of was her desire to have her father in that locker room with her, giving her a pep talk and telling her she'd do great.

"You got that?" Vidina asked Chandale. From his point of view, she wasn't paying any attention at all. "Chandale?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah I understand," Chandale finally acknowledged. "I'll give it my best shot."

Vidina shook his head. "Your best won't be enough out here. I'm not trying to demotivate you, but we face the winner between the Luca Goers and the Al Bhed Psyches. Both of those teams are championship teams."

Chandale didn't know what to say back. Vidina basically told her that she wasn't good enough to play, but they had no choice otherwise. As good a friend as he was, his mentality was completely changed in the locker room.

"Hey Vidina, cut her some slack," Borard said. Borard was the oldest member of the team aside from Tidus, and loved to impart his knowledge on the younger players. "She's gonna do great, ya? She is Tidus' daughter after all!"

Before Vidina could respond, a knock sounded from outside the door. Shortly after, the door opened and Rin appeared. Chandale knew Rin only from seeing him through the commsphere. She knew that he was a very old friend of her parents, and he helped them more than once during their fight against Sin.

"I apologize for interrupting, but I hope I may speak with Vidina and Chandale," Rin said politely.

Vidina nodded and he and Chandale exited the locker room. Rin didn't seem to be worried about anything, but also didn't seem happy. Chandale knew him to be a relatively happy person no matter the situation.

"What's up?" Vidina asked as they stood in the hallway.

"I have been in communication with Djose in hopes of receiving updates about the rescue mission," Rin responded. Chandale could almost instantly tell that bad news was coming and her heart dropped. "I'm afraid Gippal's airship was attacked and brought down over the Calm Lands. They crashed in a deep gorge, and when men were sent down to attempt a recovery, no one was found. There were no signs of people anywhere."

Chandale immediately started to fight back tears. It was almost too much to think that both of her parents were both missing, possibly even dead.

"What do we do from here?" Vidina asked. He could tell Chandale couldn't say anything, and didn't want to force her to have to.

"I have been made aware of your mission here," Rin answered. "It would seem that whoever is behind the disappearance of all these people is also the one you hope to find here. I took the liberty of speaking with the authorities here in Luca, and surveillance spheres have been placed all throughout the city. If there is anyone suspicious here, then we will know."

Vidina shook Rin's hand in appreciation. Just like always, he was a man that could be depended upon. Chandale still wouldn't say anything, clearly in shock from the news she just received. Not only were both her parents missing, but so was the rest of the Gullwings, as well as Kimahri and Gippal. Slowly, Spira's most prominent figures were dropping off the face of the planet.

"What do I do?" Chandale thought to herself. "I'm not capable of doing anything. I'm only sixteen. I've barely fought anything that had any real power. How am I supposed to fight something that could defeat Spira's strongest people?"

Suddenly a loud explosion shook the entire stadium. Chandale lost her balance and was caught by Vidina. They looked at each other, then ran for the exit. A second explosion rocked the stadium, seemingly more powerful than the first. The walls and ceilings began to crack and fall apart as everyone ran for different exits in complete panic.

Chandale and Vidina rounded the corner and reached the pathway to the stadium seating. Horror filled their eyes when they realized what was causing the damage. A giant dog-like creature with three heads stood on the far end of the stadium, launching fireballs from its mouths. Each fireball created a separate explosion that turned the area of impact into an unrecognizable pile of rubble.

"What is that?" Chandale asked in shock.

"I have no idea," Vidina responded. "I've studied bestiaries almost my entire life, and I've never seen a fiend that looked like this in any of them."

"Another dark Aeon?"

Vidina nodded back. It was the only explanation. Whoever left the sphere on Besaid was clearly in Luca, and intended on destroying everything. The stadium was nearly in complete ruin in only a matter of minutes, then the creature began to make its way for the main part of the city.

"We need to find Victori and Mowlin!" Vidina said while grabbing Chandale's hand and running toward the exit.

"My revenge begins now. Anyone who gets in my way will die, and it will not be merciful."

A tall man in all black stood on top of one of Luca's tallest buildings. He looked out at the frightened people as they fled to the nearest exit. Panic had made it impossible for Luca's authorities to get anything under control.

"You're taking this too far, Liasom," a shorter man said from behind. "I'm your brother, and I love you, but I thought you only wanted to stop the summoners and their guardians."

"Panca, my dear little brother," Liasom said slowly. "These people supported the summoners. They are just as guilty."

Liasom held his hand out, and a massive light formed around his fist. Once he opened to fist, the ball of light flew down toward the city. It took only a few seconds to reach the street, then it stopped and hovered a few feet above the ground. People stared at it in confusion as it grew brighter and brighter.

"Don't do this," Panca begged. "We have Yuna and Tidus. That should be enough right there."

Liasom smiled with amusement, then snapped his fingers. The light orb suddenly exploded, and the nearly thirty people that stood around it suddenly disappeared completely. All that was left was a shadow of their bodies, imprinted on the ground.

Panca watched his brother, who seemed to be gaining pleasure from killing the people below them. He released four more orbs of light and scattered them around the area. Once they erupted, crowds of people disappeared from existence. In less than a few minutes, Liasom became responsible for more than a hundred deaths and seemed to want to keep going.

"This is wrong," Panca thought to himself. He held a short, bulky axe in his hands. His knuckles began to turn white as he tightened his grip on the handle.

"Little brother," Liasom suddenly said without turning to face Panca. "I always knew you weren't capable of doing what needed to be done. You're weak, just like our father was."

Liasom quickly rose his hand, and Panca suddenly rose off the platform he stood on. He slowly floated around his older brother until the were face to face. Liasom didn't have any emotion on his face as he stared at his little brother.

"This will be the only time I show you mercy," Liasom said. He opened his hand wide. "You have two options from here on. You can either grow stronger and rejoin me in my efforts, or you can run away and die with everyone else."

Liasom flicked his wrist quickly. Before Panca could do anything, he suddenly began to fly through the air as if he was shot out of a cannon. Nearly ten seconds later, he was above the water off the coast of Luca. Once he hit the water, the impact knocked him out completely. He floated face down in the water for a few seconds, then slowly began to sink.

"Victori!" Chandale called as she and Vidina struggled through the crowds to reach their allies.

"What the hell is going on?" Victori asked once they were face to face. "We heard people saying there was a giant three-headed dog in the stadium."

"Yeah, we think it's another dark Aeon," Vidina replied. "We got a good look at it. It's not like any fiend that's recorded."

"What do we do?" Chandale asked nervously.

Victori thought for a few seconds. The monster was far larger than the Isonade on Besaid, and clearly more powerful. They could try to fight it, but they would be risking thousands of lives if they did so in Luca.

"We need to get that thing out of the city somehow," Victori said. "Chandale, how's your white magic?"

"Um, I only know how to use a couple spells without screwing up," Chandale answered. "I know a basic cure spell and Mom most recently showed me how to use the esuna spell."

"Perfect, we just need the cure spell. Mowlin, I want you and Vidna to get that thing's attention by any means necessary. You'll be the bait to lead it out of the city and into the fields around the Mi'ihen Highroad. Chandale, you need to follow at a safe distance and be prepared to heal if either of them need it. I'm going to try and find the person who summoned it. A summoner has to be nearby in order to keep their Aeon out, so I just need to find the person who isn't running to the nearest exit."

Vidina and Mowlin didn't hesitate after Victori was finished explaining the plan. They both jumped into a full sprint to catch up to the beast. Chandale was a little slower to move, but after a shout from Victori, she hopped into action as well.

"Hey, you alright?"

Panca could here someone calling to him, but he couldn't seem to even open his eyes. He attempted to move his limbs only to feel an intense pain course through his body. His arms were clearly broken, and his legs felt like they could be as well.

"Try not to move. My name's Andama. I'm a white magic priest for New Yevon. I'll have you healed soon."

Panca decided to comply and relaxed his entire body. The pain that shot through him made it hard not to tense up, but he could feel the warm glow of the priest's healing spell. It didn't take long for him to stop thinking about the pain, and started to think about his brother.

"Liasom's out of control," he thought to himself. "He didn't even think twice about throwing me like that. There was no guarantee I would survive, and I probably wouldn't have if not for this priest."

It took a couple minutes, but the pain in Panca's body slowly faded into just soreness. He realized he could finally open his eyes as well. The priest had a look of relief on his face. He didn't wear common priest garbs, however. He was wearing a uniform for the Bevelle blitzball team. Panca figured he must have been a player for the team.

"Thank Yevon you're ok!" Andama exclaimed. "I was shocked when I saw you flying through the air and splash into the water. I swam out after you immediately, but I thought for sure you would already be dead."

Panca got himself to his feet. He checked his body out for a few seconds. He was still covered in bruises, but the priest had managed to mend even his broken bones. There was no doubt that he was a healer of the highest skill.

"Thank you very much," Panca said with his head bowed. He had his hands at his side and realized that he didn't have his axe. "You didn't see a large axe weapon with me, did you?"

"Yes, I did actually," Andama replied. "But I'm afraid it was too heavy for me to swim back to the shore with it. I am so sorry."

"It's alright. Again, thank you so much for your help. You saved my life."

Before Andama could respond, Panca was running toward the main circle of Luca. He could see the top of the three dog heads just over the tops of the buildings. Explosions still erupted throughout the city, burning some buildings, and completely destroying others.

"Hey!" Vidina shouted from in front of the giant beast. "Down here you stupid dog!"

Vidina held his hand out and launched a blizzard spell. The spell hit the side of one of the heads. All three heads reverted their attention toward Vidina and Mowlin and roared so loudly that they had to cover their ears.

"Think I pissed it off?" Vidina asked in a half-joke.

"Safe to assume so," Mowlin responded.

All three heads formed their own fireball and launched them toward Vidina and Mowlin at the same time. Vidina dove to the side and Mowlin dove in the other direction. The fireballs hit the ground and exploded on impact. Both fighter dodged the fireballs, but the explosion pushed them both ahead as they slammed into the ground with immense force. Vidina gripped his arm in pain as he remembered the damage the Isonade had inflicted on it.

"You ok?" Mowlin called.

"I'm ok, but my arm is pretty much shot," Vidina answered. "My sword is light though, so I can still fight."

They were quickly cut off as the beast tried to stomp on the both of them. Mowlin jumped to the side, then began to run around the get behind it. He used his spear to slash across the legs, and Vidina did the same on his side. They could tell they didn't do much damage, and instead made it even angrier. Once they got behind it, they waited for it to face them, then began to run for the city's exit to Mi'ihen Highroad. The beast didn't hesitate to follow.

"They got it to leave the city," Victori told herself. "That's great, now I need to do my part and find the summoner."

Victori scanned the area carefully. Everyone was still in complete panic as they tried to find somewhere safe. After a bit of searching, Victori noticed a short, muscular man running in the opposite direction as everyone else.

"There you are," Victori said angrily. She ran after the man and quickly caught up to him. She tackled him, then rolled him over and put the spikes of her glove right at his throat.

"Hey! I'm not a bad guy!" the man nearly shouted. "But I know who is behind this attack."

"And who the hell are you? Why should I believe you?

"My name is Panca. The man who summoned the Cerberus Aeon is my older brother. He's on top of the Luca Clocktower."

Victori let her guard down and stood up. She wasn't sure why, but she felt she could trust Panca. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would be responsible for hundreds of deaths.

"Lead me to him," Victori almost ordered.

"I'm not going to do that," Panca replied. Victori readied herself for an attack. "I want him stopped, but I doubt you could fight him. He would kill you before you could even get one attack through."

"I'm not going to just stand by and watch all these people die!"

"Then we need to stop his Aeon. If we stop it, then he will cease his attack and retreat."

Victori scanned Panca. He was clearly built for battle, with his muscles making his large shirt almost look too small. He had a few minor scars on his face, most likely caused by fiends with claws judging by the way they looked. The only thing he seemed to be missing was a weapon.

"You don't fight with a weapon?" Victori asked. "I don't have time to babysit someone."

Panca smirked and gripped a short pole that was hanging off his belt. He held it in front of his body and gave it a quick flick. Suddenly the pole extended to almost four feet and an axe blade formed at one end. It was purely made of steel and seemed to be very heavy.

"Impressive," Victori admitted. "I take it you've shopped a few Al Bhed merchants."

Panca nodded, but his attention shifted to an explosion that sounded like it went off outside of Luca. He looked around and noticed the Cerberus wasn't anywhere in the city anymore.

"My team has already lured the Aeon out of the city," Victori explained. "We need to catch up and give them support."

Panca didn't waste any time before he started to run for the city's exit. Victori quickly ran after and caught up with him. The panic was beginning to lessen with the Cerberus out of the city, but the damage and loss of life was already too substantial for anyone to begin to fathom.

"I won't forgive my brother for this," Panca said as they continued to run.

"What's he hoping to accomplish with all this?" Victori asked. "Why kills hundreds of innocent people?"

Panca started to answer, but suddenly froze in place. He tried to move, but his entire body felt like it was paralyzed. Victori stopped when she noticed.

"What's wrong?" Victori asked.

"I-I can't move my body," Panca said while trying to move. "Liasom is near."

"How very perceptive of you, little brother," Liasom suddenly said from inside a nearby alley. He stepped out and revealed himself to them. He held a long staff in his hand with a blood red orb on the top of it.

"You must be the one who's behind all this," Victori said angrily.

"My name is Liasom," Liasom said with a bow. Victori could tell the bow was his way of mocking her. "I am the last summoner Spira will see, but I have a whole different goal compared to summoners of the past."

"What plan might that be?"

Liasom tossed his staff into the air. He snapped his fingers and the staff suddenly disappeared from their sight. Shortly after, they could all see Cerberus beginning to disappear. Victori could only assume that Liasom had just dismissed it.

"I only seek revenge," Liasom said. "I am here to judge those who avoided judgment all these years. I recommend you give up on your little rescue mission. I have already defeated High Summoner Yuna and all those that were with her. I even stopped the famous Sir Tidus and that Ronso guardian. If you think you can defeat me, feel free to try. I did warn you, though."

Victori couldn't get another word in before Liasom lifted his hand into the air and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Once the smoke dispersed, there was no sight of Liasom. He was gone, and took his dark Aeon with him.

"What the hell did I just witness?" Victori snapped at Panca. "You are going to give us everything you know."

Panca didn't argue with her. He wanted his brother stopped just as much as she did, if not more. His only concern was whether they were even capable of stopping him.


	6. Chapter 6-Risky Rescue

"Start from the beginning," Victori told Panca.

Everyone sat in the travel agency on Mi'ihen Highroad. Rin kicked everyone else out of, and left them to their conversation in privacy. Panca sat alone on one side of the small lobby room while everyone else stood on the other end. They all had their guard up, ready to pull their weapon in an instant if they needed to.

"Let me start by saying that my brother has severe emotional scars from the past," Panca began.

"Yeah, don't we all," Mowlin countered. "I lost half of my family in an attack by Sin when I was a child. Past incidents give no excuse for doing any wrong."

Panca held his hands up in defense. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not making excuses for him. I only said it so you would understand his own reasoning a little more. I was an infant at the time, but our father was a summoner during the days of Sin. He showed great promise as a summoner, and everyone supported him with love. Unfortunately, he got ambitious and tried to fight sin early in his pilgrimage while trying to protect a small village off the east coast. His strength was not enough, and Sin killed him and everyone else around him. It was a couple of years after that when High Summoner Yuna began her own pilgrimage and eventually defeated Sin for good. Our mother was so happy that day. She saw it as a type of closure for losing her husband when Sin was destroyed. Liasom did not share the same sentiments. Instead, he blamed the summoners for not figuring out how to defeat Sin sooner. He quickly grew a hatred for anything affiliated with Yevon in the past."

"So he wants to kill all of the former summoners as well as their guardians?" Vidina asked.

"Yes, but he won't kill them right away. He wants to round them all up first. He plans to execute them all at once."

"Where's he keeping them?" Chandale asked. Her voice was urgent, and filled with desperation.

"I'm afraid I do not know. Liasom wouldn't tell me. I would assume that was because he knew I wouldn't go along with his plan. All I know is that he takes them on an airship and flies off the west coast of the Calm Lands."

"He must be keeping them on some kind of island," Mowlin guessed. "That should be our next destination."

Panca stood up suddenly. Everyone tightened their grip on their weapons at first. They let their guard down when they realized Panca was only beginning to pace.

"You shouldn't try to fight him yet," Panca said. "Victori, you saw some of what he's capable of. He froze my entire body up, then somehow instantly transported himself out of the are. He possesses incredible power that no one has ever seen."

"Where did he get those powers?" Victori asked. "That's no type of magic I've heard of."

"It's not the kind of magic you are familiar with. As you already know, Liasom has the ability to summon and control dark Aeons. To my knowledge, he only has four Aeons that he can summon, but they are all substantially more powerful than the Aeons that summoners used in the past. To make matters worse, each Aeon in his possession bestows on him a special power. He used three of them in Luca today."

"I saw what he did to you, and his disappearing act, but what's the other one he used?"

Panca stared down at the floor. Pictures of the people Liasom killed flashed through his head. There were men, women, and children that fell victim, and none of them saw it coming until it was too late.

"He used a truly evil power," Panca finally said. "He creates a type of light orb, and when he sets it off, it will completely vaporize anyone around it. They will cease to exist, and can do nothing to stop their fate."

Chandale couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could they fight someone with those kinds of powers. It no longer sounded impossible for her parents to have lost to him.

"What about the fourth power?" Vidina asked.

"I'm afraid I haven't seen it," Panca answered. "Every time I tried to find out, he made it a goal not to reveal it. Whatever it is, he seems to be saving it for something."

"Alright, so how do we stop him?" Victori asked. She was tired of hearing Panca talk about how powerful Liasom was. No matter what powers he had, he was still just a man.

"We need to destroy the Fayth that gave him the Aeons," Panca replied. "I know the location of all four of them, but they will be very difficult to reach, and even more so to get into."

The conversation continued until they heard the commsphere at the front desk beep. Chandale was closest, so she curiously answered the call. Her eyes shot open when she saw Paine on the other end of the communication. She had dirt and cuts all over her body, but was alive.

"Oh my-it's Paine!" Chandale nearly shouted. Everyone quickly ran to the desk and huddled around Chandale. "Paine, are you ok? What about everyone else?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm the only one who made it out," Paine responded. "The Celsius was destroyed while still in the air, and after it crashed, a giant human-like bird came after us. It captured your mother, Rikku, and Brother. I haven't seen Buddy or Shinra since we went down."

"Where are you?" Vidina asked. "We can come get you."

Paine looked up suddenly, then back down to the sphere. "I'm hiding in some ruins in Zanarkand. That giant bird keeps coming back. I think it's trying to find me."

"Stay where you are," Chandale said. "We're going to get an airship and come for you."

"Where's your father?" Paine asked but realized what the answer was when Chandale's expression changed to sorrow. "He was captured too?"

"And Kimahri. They went looking for you guys after we heard what happened."

"I'm sorry Chandale. But be careful if you do come here. Whatever destroyed the Celsius wasn't normal. We didn't see it coming, and we couldn't find it when it attacked. The airship just started to fall apart with explosions. Stay on full alert the entire time."

Chandale wanted to ask more questions, but Paine suddenly looked up again, then turned the commsphere off. Tears began to flow down her face. Vidina put his arm around her, and she moved closer to him and started to cry on his shoulder. Everything was becoming too overwhelming as more and more problems piled on top of the ones that already existed.

"Do you have any idea what could have destroyed the airships?" Victori asked Panca.

"No I'm sorry," Panca answered. "It doesn't sound like one of his powers."

"One of his Aeons?" Mowlin guessed.

"It's possible. I've only seen two of his Aeons. The first was that Cerberus that you just fought, and the giant human-like bird is called Garudo."

"He also has a type of shark called Isonade," Vidina said. "We fought it on Besaid Island before coming to Luca."

Mowlin sat down in a seat. "So we know three of the four Aeons. I think it's safe to assume the fourth one is responsible for the destruction of the two airships. My gut says we shouldn't fly, but we might be able to bait it into showing itself. Then we can figure out a way to stop it."

Rin suddenly opened the door and entered the agency. "I apologize, but I overheard a bit of that. If you plan to fly to Zanarkand, allow me to give you an airship to use."

"You would do that for us?" Vidina asked.

"Of course I would!" Rin smiled largely. "Word came to me yesterday from the Al Bhed Home in Bikanel. Cid has finished building a new type of airship that is capable of flying faster and further than any airship that exists. It also carries a thicker hull, which could help you ward off possible attacks."

"But it's in Bikanel," Mowlin said. "How do you propose we get there? That's at least a two week trip by boat."

"We can't wait that long!" Chandale shouted. Tears were still flowing from her eyes. "We need to rescue Paine as soon as possible!"

"I agree with Chandale," Victori said. "Paine might be able to provide us with some information that we are yet to learn. She would also be a powerful addition to our team. I doubt anyone would disagree with me if I said she's more skilled than any of us here."

"Do not worry," Rin spoke up. "I happen to have a new type of machina transport right here. It is like a boat, but can move underwater. It is much faster than a boat due to its powerful engine. You would be in Bikanel in less than twenty-four hours."

Mowlin got back to his feet and looked at Rin. "And what if that shark Aeon comes after us?"

"It won't," Panca said. "Liasom has to be near in order to summon his Aeon. That's not possible in the middle of the sea."

"Then we are in agreement," Rin declared. "Prepare yourselves, and we may leave whenever you are ready. I must warn you, though. There will not be much space, so only bring what you need."

Rin stepped back outside once he was finished talking. Everyone looked at their gear and realized they had already packed light for the trip. They hadn't planned on going anywhere else after Luca originally, so didn't bring any necessities for a long trip.

"We should call Besaid," Vidina suggested. "My parents only sent us to deal with the Luca situation. I think they should know if we're planning on doing this."

"I agree," Victori replied. "Vidina, you and Chandale should do that. I'm going to speak with Rin about the preparations, and Mowlin is coming with me."

Victori grabbed a reluctant Mowlin by the arm and dragged him out of the agency. Panca elected to step outside as well, leaving Chandale and Vidina alone. Chandale still couldn't think straight. The only thing in her mind was her desire to rescue Paine before Liasom could find her. If they could get Paine, then they might stand a chance.

Vidina started up the commsphere and called for Besaid Temple. It only took a few seconds for a priest to answer the call. The priest smiled, then made a motion that told Vidina to hold on. A few minutes later, both Wakka and Lulu were in front of the sphere.

"Vidina, is everyone alright?" Lulu asked. "Word got to us about the attack on Luca."

"Everyone is ok here," Vidina answered. "Turns out a man named Liasom is behind all of this. He is getting help from four different Fayth, with four Aeons under his control."

"You did good; I'm proud of you both. We were afraid after we heard what happened. More than two hundred people were killed."

"Honestly, Mom, that's a low number given what happened. But hey, we got an interesting call just now. Turns out Paine is hiding in Zanarkand. She said everyone else was captured and taken somewhere in the sea. Tidus' rescue party was attacked and captured too."

"Your mother and I are coming to you," Wakka said. "We will go for Paine together."

"Don't!" Chandale suddenly shouted. "You two need to stay on Besaid, and keep your guard up. Liasom is after everyone who guarded Mom during her pilgrimage, so he's gonna be after the two of you too. At least if you stay on Besaid you can hide somewhere."

"You are not going to Zanarkand on your own." Wakka's rare stern voice broke through. "We shouldn't have even sent you to Luca. This Liasom is too dangerous for you to chase without us."

"We have Victori with us, and Mowlin is traveling with us too," Vidina replied. "We've also made allies with Liasom's younger brother. We don't know much about him, but it's clear he wants to stop Liasom. Even more, once we rescue Paine, we'll have her strength on our side too. You said it yourself that the only person Paine couldn't take in a sword fight is Tidus. We have to act now, or else we could lose her too."

Wakka and Lulu glanced at each other. It was clear that neither of them liked the idea of them going alone. It was more because of their age and lack of experience though, not because they didn't trust them.

"You be careful," Wakka ordered. "Vidina, look after Chandale. I'm not going to be able to face my best friend if something happens to his daughter."

"I will Dad," Vidina replied. "We'll all be looking after each other."

"Both of you, practice your spells as much as possible," Lulu said. "You'll need them over time."

Chandale and Vidina both nodded. After Lulu blew a kiss to them, they switched the commsphere off. Silence filled the room for a few seconds before Victori came in.

"You two ready?" Victori asked.

"Yeah, all good," Vidina replied.

They walked outside together and saw everyone else by the water. A large, metal tube-like compartment floated on the water with a large propeller on one end. A hatch was open on the top of it for people to enter. Rin's head was poking out of the hatch, waving for everyone to come on-board.

"There's no turning back after this," Mowlin declared. "If we're going to do this, then we're going to see it through."

"That's a given," Vidina replied. "We didn't decide to do this with a plan to run away."

Chandale turned to Panca and they locked eyes. "Panca, I still don't entirely trust you. You keep giving us good information, then our trust in you will continue to rise."

Vidina stepped forward. "But the minute you do something that betrays that trust, we will finish you without hesitation."

Panca could tell they were serious. He wasn't offended by their lack of trust. They both came from very tight-knit families, so it was unheard of to them for a family to hate each other. All he could do was help them in any way possible.

"I plan to continue helping," Panca finally said with his head bowed. "And I will drive my own axe into Liasom if the opportunity presents itself."

"I can't stay here much longer," Paine told herself. She was crouched down underneath a pile of rocks while the giant human-like bird flew overhead. "That stupid bird hasn't left all day."

Paine scanned the area. From what she could see, there was nothing she could crawl under to avoid being seen. It seemed to be only a matter of time until the monster found her though. Every so often, it would land and start throwing rubble around to uncover different hiding spots.

"Garudo, that's enough for today," a deep voice said, not even twenty feet away from where Paine hid. "She can't get anywhere, so we will just sit and wait."

"Who the hell is he?" Paine thought to herself. She adjusted her position to get a better look at the man's face. "I don't recognize him."

She moved back to her original position, but her foot suddenly slipped and kicked a pile of stones. She froze where she was, hoping they didn't just hear it. She stayed in place for another few seconds before turning her head to see where they were. Suddenly the rocks that sat above her head shot into the sky and crashed to the ground more than a hundred feet away.

"One slip is all it takes," the man said. He began to walk toward Paine, who had her sword drawn. "Paine, it is a true pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Liasom, and I will be your host where you are going."

"I'll have to decline the invite," Paine responded. "My schedule is all filled up at the moment."

Liasom chuckled with amusement. He rose his hand and opened his fist. Suddenly Paine's sword ripped out of her grip and flew into his hand. Paine stared in shock as he began to walk closer to her, pointing her own sword at her.

"As fun as it would be to exchange quips, I have a schedule of my own to follow," Liasom said. "This is a magnificent sword, though. I absolutely love the all-black blade, and the design on the hilt is priceless."

Paine accessed her garment grid and quickly turned into her black mage outfit. Immediately after, she launched a firaga spell toward Liasom. Liasom simply held his hand out, and the spell seemed to completely disperse upon contact.

"I've heard about the Gullwings and their garment grids," Liasom said. "You can switch jobs within seconds with such a technology. Truly and impressive piece of equipment."

"Mind if I ask what you want with us?" Paine asked.

"Honestly, my quarrel is not with you, but because you insist on trying to protect those that I am after, you must suffer the consequences with them."

"The one's you're after? Yuna?"

"To name one of them, yes."

Paine flicked her wrist, and a flare spell suddenly engulfed Liasom. She didn't wait to see if it did any damage, and turned to run away. His Aeon, Garudo, took to flight and began to chase her down. It flew much faster than she could run, and landed right in front of her to cut her off. Paine switched from her black mage to the dark knight and slashed the long blade across the beast's torso. The Garudo let out a screech of pain and jumped back to avoid another attack.

"This is my chance," Paine told herself.

Paine looked back and saw Liasom beginning to move toward her. She scanned the area, and eventually dove straight into the water. She continued to swim as deep as possible before leveling out and swimming away from where Liasom stood.

"You're a feisty one," Liasom said. He held his hand up and dismissed the Garudo. Seconds later, he pointed his finger at the water, and summoned the Isonade that attacked Besaid.

The large shark beast dove deep into the water and began to chase Paine. Paine saw the monster and frantically started to swim for the nearest piece of land. The Isonade swam far too fast for her to get away, and only a couple seconds passed before the beast was ramming into her. She gripped her sword and stabbed it into the Isonade's side, draining its blood into the water. She quickly withdrew the sword, then kicked off of the Isonade to give herself momentum to reach the surface.

"Is he summoning them?" Paine asked herself as she climbed out of the water. "I thought the Fayth couldn't give Aeons anymore."

Paine looked into the water, but didn't see the Isonade anymore. Liasom stood far on the other side of the large body of water, staring straight at Paine. Paine stared back for a few seconds before continuing her retreat in the opposite direction.

"No one escapes me," Liasom said aloud.

Paine continued to run down the path, running deeper and deeper into the ruins. It didn't take long for her to end up in an area that was completely unrecognizable. The ruins were massive, and barely touched by anyone still alive. As a result, she didn't know which way to go from there.

"I have to keep moving," Paine said. "There's no way they'll get here to rescue me in time."

Suddenly a large fireball flew above her head, then exploded on the side of a ruined building. Paine ducked in surprise, then turned to see the Cerberus running toward her. She rolled her eyes, both in annoyance and fright, then began to run again.

"Do not kill her," Liasom said as he rode on the Aeon's back. He stood perfectly straight as if there was no struggle while the giant dog ran. "I will execute her in front of her friends for her defiance."

The Cerberus launched two more fireballs, one on each side of Paine. The explosions threw debris all over the place. Sharp pieces of rock stabbed at Paine's skin as she ran, and the ground shook enough to make her focus on keeping her balance.

"I can't keep this up," Paine told herself. "If I don't lose him soon, I won't be able to keep fighting."

"There is Zanarkand just ahead of us," Rin called from the pilot seat.

Chandale stared out the window in surprise. It was her first time seeing the ruins, and had barely heard a description of it from her parents. Her attention quickly reverted to the giant Cerberus that everyone saw running through the ruined city.

"That's the Cerberus!" Vidina exclaimed. "It's after something."

"Paine," Chandale said. "Rin, does this thing have weapons?"

"I am insulted you have to ask," Rin answered. He flipped two switches on the panel in front of them. Lights began to blink on both switches, signifying the weapons were armed.

"I can see Paine ahead of it," Victori said from the far window. "Aim the weapons for the Cerberus' back. We don't want to hit Paine too."

Rin positioned the airship directly behind the Cerberus, then slammed his fist into the switches. Two large missiles flew out of tubes on the undercarriage of the ship and blazed toward the dark Aeon. Seconds passed before the missiles impacted right behind it, exploded with a brilliant flash of flames and debris. The Cerberus didn't see it coming, and fell over from the shock of the blow.

Paine continued to run as Rin brought the airship as low as he could get it. The hatch on the back slowly opened, revealing Panca and Mowlin with a long rope. They tossed it out for Paine to grab onto. After a couple of misses, Paine finally grabbed it and was lifted into the airship.

"Are you alright?" Mowlin asked as Paine rolled onto her back on the floor, breathing heavily.

"Ask me again when we're the hell away from here," Paine responded grumpily.

Panca pressed the intercom button on the wall. "We have Paine. Get out of here."

Rin didn't waste any time and put the thrusters at full power. The airship bolted high into the sky and reached the clouds within seconds. Everyone had to hold onto something to avoid falling over from the force of the boost until it leveled out and began to fly straight.

"I believe this mission is a success," Rin declared with a smile and a thumbs up.

Chandale let out a heavy sigh of relief. For the first time since they left Besaid, something actually went their way. It almost felt like Liasom wasn't the unstoppable force they thought him to be.

"I'm gonna go see Paine," Chandale said while already running for the elevator.

Vidina waved to her before returning his attention to the radar. He didn't want to look away from it, just in case something tried to attack. He was hoping the airship was too fast, or at least faster than expected, which would allow for them to get away by surprise.

"Paine!" Chandale called as she hugged the exhausted sphere hunter.

"Hey kid," Paine said with a smile. "Gotta say, I'm surprised to see you here. You sure you're not too young to be out here like this?"

Chandale shook her head while still hugging Paine. "I'm not going to sit and wait to hear whether my parents are alive or not. I couldn't bare it."

"You're just like your mom with that. She has that bleeding heart for her loved ones too."

Chandale chuckled as she ended her prolonged hug. The sight of Paine put new hope in her heart. With someone of her strength, they would have a better chance against an enemy like Liasom.

"So how about a rundown of everything?" Paine asked.

"Sure, let's go back up to the bridge," Chandale replied.

Everyone returned to the bridge to make plans for their next steps. Rin had switched the ship into autopilot and joined them as well. At the moment, they were on-course for Mushroom Rock. Rin had already sent word to the Youth League, and Nooj welcomed them to rest at the base.

"This is Panca," Chandale introduced. "Apparently he's Liasom's younger brother."

Panca bowed his head to Paine out of respect. Paine didn't do anything in return. She had a dead stare on Panca, which made him more uncomfortable by the second.

"Why do you trust him?" Paine asked. She rested her hand on the top of her sword hilt.

"At the moment, we don't," Victori answered. "But he claims to know how to stop Liasom, so we're entertaining his presence for the time being."

Paine stepped forward until she was only inches from Panca. Panca locked eyes with her, but had never felt more uneasy in his life. Paine's stare was penetrating and heavy.

"I'm sure you've already received this warning," Paine began. "I'm going to warn you in my own words. If I see even the possibility of you leading us into a trap, I will put my blade through you without hesitation. To make it worse, I will do it right in front of your brother."

"I-I understand," Panca responded nervously.

Paine finally stepped back to her original position. Silence filled the bridge. No one knew what to say next after that.

"Ok, so Panca says that Liasom received the power to summon four different dark Aeons," Victori finally said. "The Fayth also gave him some kind of power that he can use like magic."

"That would explain him stealing my sword without touching it," Paine said. "So let me guess, we need to destroy the Fayth if we want to have a prayer against Liasom."

"Yes, otherwise he will overpower us all," Panca replied. "I understand you are a very skilled fighter, but as he is now, Liasom is capable of killing crowds of people in a matter of second. Even worse, he doesn't even need to be close enough to touch those people."

"He killed over two hundred people in Luca just yesterday," Mowlin said.

"Then where are the Fayth that gave him these powers?" Paine asked.

"I can take you to all four," Panca answered.

"You're welcome to take us to them, but you will tell us their location right now," Paine ordered with a forceful voice. "Should you decide to betray us, or you get killed, we need to know where to go without you."

Panca was caught off guard a little at first. "Ok, but three of the temples are not on the main continent. Very few people have been there. One is on a small island east of Kilika Island. No one goes there because the island is a giant volcano that is still active. The Fayth is hidden inside the volcano."

"How did Liasom manage to find that?" Vidina asked.

"He claims that the Fayth came to him in a dream and gave him the locations. The only reason I know all this is because he tried to bring me in on his cause."

"His cause?" Paine asked.

"Revenge on ex-summoners and their guardians for blindly following Yevon all those years. He says they're responsible for the millions of deaths over the years by Sin, including our summoner father."

"Perfect," Paine said sarcastically. "We got a bitter kid who didn't like how his life turned out, so he wants to blame everyone else."

Panca felt slight irritation with Paine's attitude. He didn't agree with Liasom, but still hated what happened in the past. He was just as broken over his father being killed by Sin.

"The second temple is an underwater cave off the coast near Macalania," Panca continued. "I don't know the exact location, however. We'll have to do some searching in Rin's underwater transport."

"I am at your service as long as you need it," Rin spoke up. "I would do anything to help Lady Yuna and her friends."

"The third is at the bottom of the canyon in the Calm Lands," Panca said. "It's too small for an airship to get down there, so we will have to climb down."

"People have been at the bottom of that canyon," Paine said. "How wasn't it found in the past?"

"To my understanding, its hidden by an illusion created by the Fayth. The entrance is covered by illusory rocks."

"How long do you think we have before Liasom tries to hurt anyone he's kidnapped?" Victori asked.

"You time as long as he hasn't captured all of his targets."

"So he'll be coming after my parents next," Vidina said. "Rin, we need to get to Besaid as soon as possible!"

Rin didn't reply, but was already on his way to the pilot seat. He started to type some numbers into the terminal, then the entire airship suddenly banked to the left. The autopilot quickly corrected its course, then straightened out and started to fly straight again.

"We will be over Besaid in less than four hours," Rin announced.

"Thank you," Vidina responded. Rin bowed his head with a smile.

"We should keep Wakka and Lulu with us," Mowlin said. "We need to keep them safe."

"Bad idea," Panca countered. Mowlin gave him a harsh glance. "If they travel with us, then Liasom will track us to the temples. If he's preoccupied with hunting them, then he won't anticipate us attacking the Fayth."

"So where should we take them?" Vidina asked.

"Honestly, there is nowhere safe for them."

Vidina refused to believe what Panca said. There had to be a safe hiding place that Liasom wouldn't find them in. Liasom was powerful, but not psychic. If they could hide Wakka and Lulu well enough, he wouldn't be able to find them.

"I know," Paine suddenly said. "Underneath Bevelle Temple is a giant labyrinth of passages and rooms. If we can get them there without Liasom knowing, then he will never find them."

Chandale continued to listen to everyone discuss the plans, but she felt left out. She was the youngest person in the group, and the least experienced. If it weren't for it being her parents that were missing, she knew she wouldn't have even been brought on the mission. She didn't even have any decent ideas that would help them with their planning.

"Are you ok?" Rin said softly to her suddenly.

Chandale looked at him, then realized everyone else was to busy talking with each other to notice she and Rin weren't involved. Rin had a welcoming smile on his face, but also appeared concerned.

"I don't belong here," Chandale finally said. "I'm not good at planning, I only know the basics in battle, and my white magic isn't even good enough to call it beginner."

"So?" Rin shrugged her shoulders. "When I first met your parents, you mother was a beginner in both white magic and summoning. Your father was even worse. He looked like a nervous child who didn't belong near a battle. They grew stronger as they continued to push forward, and now you are the daughter of the High Summoner who brought the eternal calm, and the greatest guardian to ever live."

Chandale was already beginning to feel a little better after hearing Rin's words. She only knew her parents as the strong, resilient people that they are now. It was hard for her to picture them as afraid novices.

"Thank you," Chandale said with a small smile.

"No need for thanks," Rin replied. "I am here to serve you, just as I did your parents during their fight against Sin."

They reverted their attention back to the discussion, but everyone was caught off when the airship shook violently. Alarms began to beep loudly from the computer, and the ship suddenly began to dive. Rin jumped into his seat and switched to manual controls. He pulled the throttle towards his body and leveled the ship back out.

"What was that?" Victori asked.

Vidina studied the radar carefully. "I don't see anything on the radar."

The airship suddenly shook again. Rin continued to struggle to keep the airship steady. A third shake rattled the airship, then an explosion sounded from below them. The airship began to list to the right with no control.

"The port side engine is dead," Rin called. "I cannot keep the ship level."

"It's the same thing that attacked the Celsius," Paine said. "We didn't see it coming, and we couldn't find it as it destroyed the ship."

Suddenly two explosions burst directly above the group. Debris rained down on top of them, then they noticed there was a hole above them that led straight to the outside. The entire bridge began to depressurize as the oxygen was quickly being sucked out. Rin quickly opened a large crate on the bridge and revealed breathing masks. He tossed one to each person, and they quickly put them on.

The airship continued to rattle, and explosion could be heard all throughout the ship. Rin could no longer maintain control of the ship, so he switched it to autopilot and motioned for everyone to follow him. He led them all through a hatch on the far side of the bridge, and led them down a ladder. At the bottom was a small room with what seemed to be a miniature version of the airship.

"We are about a mile from the Besaid coast," Rin said. "We need to board the escape ship and try to reach the beach."

Everyone filed into the escape ship. It was clear that it wasn't designed to hold seven people at once, so they were forced to squish together as much as possible.

Rin flipped a few switches, then pressed a yellow button. The small airship quickly powered up, and when all the lights blinked green, Rin pressed a button to open the hatch. Once the hatch fully opened, he pushed the throttle forward and the ship thrust forward.

Chandale looked out the small window and up to the airship. It was still flying, but fire raged all over the hull, and pieces began to fly off. Her attention quickly switched to a figure that flew around the outside of the ship.

"Look!" Chandale shouted. "I see something!"

Everyone looked out the window and saw the same thing. It was flying around the ship, occasionally flying directly through the ship's hull, creating explosions as it passed through. It was wearing a pitch black robe that covered its entire body aside from its hands, which looked like long, skinny claws. Its face was covered by a large hood that was connected to the robe. It didn't seem to have wings even though it flew with ease.

"Could that be Liasom's fourth Aeon?" Vidina asked.

"If it is, then we're in trouble," Panca answered. "That would mean he's already here, and could already have Wakka and Lulu."

The creature continued to fly through the ship until the entire airship broke in half and began to plummet to the water. After both parts splashed into the sea, the creature brought its attention to the small airship they had escaped in. A mere second later, it was flying with incredible speed right towards them.

"It's coming after us!" Chandale called to Rin.

Rin didn't respond to Chandale's warning. He pushed the throttle inward, then the airship made a quick dive downward. The creature continued to follow them, quickly gaining.

"I apologize for this," Rin called to everyone.

"For what?" Mowlin asked.

Rin pressed a small red button to his left. A second later, the bottom of the airship opened up and all of the seats ejected out of it. Everyone screamed loudly as they began to plummet to that water. The fall was close to twenty feet, but only took a few seconds for them to reach. With a large splash, they all hit the water. Once they resurfaced, they noticed the creature was still going after the airship.

"Wait, where's Rin?" Chandale asked while spinning her head around. She looked back up at the airship and realized what Rin did.

"It truly was a pleasure to help all of you," Rin said from the pilot seat. "I wish the best for you all."

The creature reached the airship and flew straight through it, just like with the main airship. It only took one explosion for the whole thing to burst into a large fireball and fall into the sea. Chandale screamed loudly as she started to swim toward the wreckage.

"No Chandale!" Vidina shouted. "We need to get out of the water! He could summon the Isonade!"

"I'm not leaving Rin!" Chandale screamed. "He could still be alive!"

Paine caught up with her and grabbed her tightly. Chandale screamed loudly as she tried to shake free from Paine's grip. Paine kept her grasp tight, then pulled Chandale close to her and hugged her tightly.

"He couldn't have survived that," Paine said. "I'm sorry, Chandale, but we need to get to the beach."

Chandale could barely open here eyes as tears flooded them. Paine pulled at her arm until she finally started to swim toward the shore. Paine soon followed, but had to be sure she didn't have tears of her own first.

After almost five minutes of swimming, they all finally reached the shore. The creature that destroyed the airships was nowhere in sight, nor was any of the other dark Aeons. Vidina ignored his exhaustion and jumped into a full sprint down the path to the village.

"Please be ok," Vidina thought toward his parents. "Please."


End file.
